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Yanis Varoufakis
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Foundations of Economics: A Beginner's Companion 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Yanis Varoufakis (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 47 ratings
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Foundations of Economics breathes life into the discipline by linking key economic concepts with wider debates and issues. By bringing to light delightful mind-teasers, philosophical questions and intriguing politics in mainstream economics, it promises to enliven an otherwise dry course whilst inspiring students to do well.
The book covers all the main economic concepts and addresses in detail three main areas:
* consumption and choice
* production and markets
* government and the State.
Each is discussed in terms of what the conventional textbook says, how these ideas developed in historical and philosophical terms and whether or not they make sense. Assumptions about economics as a discipline are challenged, and several pertinent students' anxieties ('Should I be studying economics?') are discussed.
Previous page
  1. ISBN-13
    978-0415178914
  2. Edition
    1st
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Routledge
  5. Publication date
    January 8, 2002
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    2915 KB
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Yanis Varoufakis is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Sydney University. He is the co-author with Shaun Hargreaves-Heap, of Game Theory: A Critical Introduction, also published by Routledge.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000FBFB08
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 1st edition (January 8, 2002)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 8, 2002
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2915 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Up to 4 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 424 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0415178916
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 47 ratings

About the author

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Yanis Varoufakis

Yanis Varoufakis

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Yanis Varoufakis is the former finance minister of Greece and the author of several international bestselling books. And the Weak Suffer What They Must?: Europe, Austerity and the Threat to Global Stability reveals the underlying problems that led to the Eurozone crisis and its ongoing catastrophic mishandling. Adults In the Room: My Battle with Europe's Deep Establishment is an explosive memoir that reveals what goes on behind the scenes in Europe's corridors of power. Talking To My Daughter About the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism (forthcoming) explains through vivid stories and easily graspable concepts what economics actually is and why it is so dangerous in the form of a letter to his teenage daughter.

Born in Athens in 1961, Yanis Varoufakis was for many years a professor of economics in Britain, Australia and the USA before he entered government and is currently Professor of Economics at the University of Athens. Since resigning from Greece's finance ministry he has co-founded an international grassroots movement, DiEM25, campaigning for the revival of democracy in Europe and speaks to audiences of thousands worldwide.

yanisvaroufakis.eu / @yanisvaroufakis

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
47 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

MADC
5.0 out of 5 stars A good companion...
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2005
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I am not finished with this book yet...to this moment I am half of the way. This book reads like a good novel, it is so well written that you can not put it down!!!

All issues are fairly addressed and explained. When you can learn and have a little bit of fun reading a book...It can not get any better...

If you are not an economist ( good for you!!!) but like me , are interested in the subjet..this book is for you.
9 people found this helpful
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Sulaiman Syed
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book.
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2017
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Amazing book...well thought out arguments. I took about 4 courses in economics throughout my Business undergrad degree yet they were never taught like this. I might've switched over to Econ if they were...
3 people found this helpful
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Douglas Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars Relating math problems to real problems
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2016
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I have been considering going back to school to study economics. Economics has been either the central theme of or at least played a supporting role in of most of the books I have read in the past year.

I could not put this book down. At its heart it is a plea for people to keep faith in the discipline despite its many problems, and for those already deeply involvedin economics to open their minds to some of the things that may be preventing them from seeing the forest through the trees.

Yanis' honesty is what drew me in the most as I find it hard not to take seriously a person who is just as quick to criticize his own thoughts and arguments as those of people with a different idealogical point of view.

I have already opened a second book of his (Modern Political Economics), and will credit this book as being the final straw in my decision to formally study economics.
9 people found this helpful
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Soter
5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of the field.
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2013
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Very easy to follow and accessible writing. As a business student trying to grasp various concepts, this was a fantastic supplement to my assigned materials.
3 people found this helpful
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Snehal Shah
4.0 out of 5 stars Great content, terrible print quality
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2012
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Purchased the paperback version to read along with the assigned economics textbook. I find Varoufakis' discussion lively and interesting, the book makes an excellent companion read and raises interesting questions that don't surface in the standard textbook.

However...the print quality in the paperback is truly awful. The edition notice says "Transferred to Digital Printing 2005" which apparently means my 1990-era Epson dot matrix printer found a good retirement home at Routledge. The print is blurry and the background of every page is a light dot pattern. Really not acceptable in a $70 book. The content is great, and even though I like printed textbooks, in this case I suggest getting the kindle edition over paper. 5 stars for the ideas minus a star for the print quality.
10 people found this helpful
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Serge P Lebrun
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2010
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I like reading books on subjects I know little about.

When interested in economics, I was referred to the this book several times.

I hesitated at first due to the price, but decided to go with it due to recommendations (something I rarely gamble on)

I was very pleased. Well written, and easy to read. Just what I was looking for. I really want to see how Varoufakis would tackle companions for other subjects beyond economics.
8 people found this helpful
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Rambutan Head
5.0 out of 5 stars A critical view
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2014
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This is a wonderful book that offers the essentials of the economics profession then them using substantial evidence. I would recommend this to anyone studying economics.
One person found this helpful
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EnthuzeYou
5.0 out of 5 stars If you found this page an are reading reviews, don't. Just read this book.
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2010
Years ago while I was an undergraduate I decided to consider Economics as a major. I'd read a couple articles and these interested me to learn more--despite my high school Economics experience. One of the articles was Yanis Varoufaknis' (co-written with Joseph Haveli) 'The Global Minotaur' in Monthly Review.
I was so interested by the argument presented by Mr. Varoufaknis in that article that I...almost bought this book! And then checked it out from my college library! Then I bought it.
I credit this book with getting me an "A" in all the 'neoclassical' economic theory classes I had to take at the undergraduate level (Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, as well as, History of Economic Thought).
The book is a gem. The writing flows and somehow maintains your interest in even the most arcane discussions of neoclassical economics. There are excellent quotes interspersed throughout the text. Brain teasing puzzles, paradoxes, and thought-experiments. Excellent summaries of a wide range of debates on a host of theoretical, policy, philosophical, and political issues relating to economics. Debates that can and will--if you're at all interested in economics--help you decide into what arena of economics you'll want to study. Or, whether or not you will want to study economics at all--and maybe, why you should or shouldn't. But besides all that, the book is a masterpiece in that it's an enjoyable and readable detailing of what modern economics is, and why it is that way. What an accomplishment! And once you have a solid understanding of those--which this book not only offers but demands--economics becomes not dismal but somehow, intriguing. Get your hands on this book. You'll be happy you did.
21 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Alberto
5.0 out of 5 stars Un nuevo abordaje en la docencia
Reviewed in Mexico on July 7, 2022
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Podría estar a color para hacerlo más didáctico. Excelente contenido
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R. Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for every undergraduate economics student
Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2020
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Despite the subtitle – A beginner's companion – this book is best read by students who have taken or are taking second year microeconomics. It deftly summarizes the content of the standard text, gives an account of how those ideas developed, and provides an incisive critique, written in Varoufakis's superb style. The book is a bit pricey, but worth every cent.
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customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic book, terrible printing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2021
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This is a wonderful book - I was given a scanned pdf version as a student 10 years ago (it was then out of print) and was deeply impressed by it. I've since been on the hunt for an affordable copy. Unfortunately, the printing of this edition is appalling - it looks like they've printed and bound a pixellated pdf. Incredibly disappointing
2 people found this helpful
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tyler neely
1.0 out of 5 stars Great book, completely butchered by Amazon fulfillment printer
Reviewed in Germany on September 25, 2020
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Great book, horrific print quality by Amazon fulfillment. It looks like it was just photo copied at extremely low DPI, with all of the blank space between lines filled with a grid of black dots, many artifacts. This is blurry and completely unacceptable for something that a human would supposedly spend hours looking directly at.
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tyler neely
1.0 out of 5 stars Great book, completely butchered by Amazon fulfillment printer
Reviewed in Germany on September 25, 2020
Great book, horrific print quality by Amazon fulfillment. It looks like it was just photo copied at extremely low DPI, with all of the blank space between lines filled with a grid of black dots, many artifacts. This is blurry and completely unacceptable for something that a human would supposedly spend hours looking directly at.
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3 people found this helpful
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paolo scarselli
5.0 out of 5 stars giudizio personale sul testo
Reviewed in Italy on July 26, 2015
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il libro mi e' piaciuto perche scritto in modo chiaro ed esauriente. A mio parere e' in grado di offrire una ottima conoscenza di base della materia economica
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