Preliminary Part 1 Reading List

Introduction

This reading list is designed to provide information about the scope and content of Part I of the Economics Tripos at Cambridge. It aims to help potential candidates who are thinking of applying to read Economics at Cambridge, and to allow schools to advise such candidates. Directors of Studies may also find it useful to send copies of this reading list to candidates holding conditional or firm offers of admission. The books on the list have been chosen to be widely available (for example, in school or public libraries) and where possible to be relatively inexpensive. Books marked with an asterisk are recommended texts for the course concerned, and are therefore more advanced than most of the other material on this list. However candidates may find it useful to obtain these books before coming to Cambridge in October.

You will find it easier to understand many of the issues covered in the course if you have a basic familiarity with key developments in Britain, Europe and the world in the 20th century. For this reason the list also includes a number of books on historical topics. These are not assigned to any specific Tripos paper.

General Introduction

Dasgupta, P. Economics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press

Microeconomics and Macroeconomics

Begg, D K H, S Fischer and R Dornbusch, Economics (latest edition), McGraw-Hill
Greenaway, D and G K Shaw, Macroeconomics: Theory and Practice in the UK (latest edition), Blackwell
Heilbroner, R, The Worldly Philosophers (latest edition), Penguin
*Mankiw, N G, and M.P. Taylor, Macroeconomics (European edition), Freeman
*Varian, H, Intermediate Microeconomics (latest edition), Norton
*Morgan, W, Katz, M and S Rosen, Microeconomics (latest edition), Irwin McGraw-Hill
*Dixit, A and S Skeath, Games of Strategy (2nd edition), Norton

Quantitative Methods in Economics

*Lind, D, W Marchal and R Mason, Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics (latest edition), Irwin, Homewood
*Aczel, A D, Complete Business Statistics (latest edition), Irwin, Homewood
Sawyer, Malcolm, The UK Economy : A Manual of Applied Economics (16th edition), Oxford University Press
Thomas, R L, Using Mathematics in Economics, Longman
*Bradley, T and P Patton, Essential Mathematics for Economics and Business (latest edition), Wiley
*Pemberton, M and N Rau, Mathematics for Economists (2nd edition) , Manchester University Press

Political and Sociological Aspects of Economics

Dunleavy, P and others, Developments in British Politics (latest edition), Macmillan
Hutton, W, The World We’re In, Abacus
Donkin, R, Blood, Sweat and Tears: the Evolution of Work, Texere
Toynbee, P, Hard Work, Bloomsbury, 2003
Easterlin, R, The Reluctant Economist, CUP, 2004

British Economic History

*Floud, R and P Johnson (eds), The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Britain, Cambridge University Press (3 vols)
Hudson, P, The Industrial Revolution, Arnold
Mathias, P, The First Industrial Nation, Routledge
Broadberry, S, and S Solomou, The British Economy Between The Wars, Blackwell

Background reading on UK, European and World History

Clarke, P, Hope and Glory, Penguin
Mazower, M, Dark Continent: Europe’s Twentieth Century, Penguin
Vinen, R, A History in Fragments: Europe in the Twentieth-Century, Little Brown
Hobsbawm, E, Age of Extremes: the Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991, Abacus
Judt, T, PostWar, Pimlico
Landes, D S, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Are Some So Rich and Others So Poor?, Norton
Diamond, J, Guns, Germs and Steel, Vintage

Information on Calculators and Computers

The Economics Faculty requires students taking examinations to use a particular model of electronic calculator which has been approved and stamped by the University. For examinations in 2008-09 the approved model will be the Casio FX-570 ES. You will be able to buy this when you arrive in Cambridge, so you should not purchase a new calculator before you get here. If you already own a Casio FX-570 ES calculator you will be able to have it approved and stamped when you arrive in Cambridge.

Many students reading Economics bring their own personal computer to Cambridge. There is no need for you to do this: the Economics Faculty has public computer rooms with machines accessible to all students, and these machines will provide all the facilities you will need for your academic work. Most Colleges will also have suitable facilities. However if you do wish to bring your own computer, you should be aware that the Economics Faculty computer system is a network of PC-compatible machines running Microsoft Windows, and does not provide facilities for Apple Macintosh or Linux users. In addition there is very little economics and statistical software available for Macintosh computers. You should therefore ensure that any machine which you bring has a network card and can run MS-Windows 2000 (or later versions of Windows). You will also find it useful if the machine has standard word-processing and spreadsheet software (preferably Microsoft Office) and an Internet browser. Most other software used by economists is installed on the Faculty network, and can be used by any machine attached to the network.