Cover: Modern Principles: Macroeconomics, 6th Edition by Tyler Cowen; Alex Tabarrok

Modern Principles: Macroeconomics

Sixth Edition  ©2024 Tyler Cowen; Alex Tabarrok Formats: Achieve, E-book, Print

Authors

  • Headshot of Tyler Cowen

    Tyler Cowen

    Tyler Cowen is Holbert C. Harris Professor of Economics at George Mason University. His latest book is Big Business. With Alex Tabarrok he co-writes the Marginal Revolution blog, often ranked as the #1 economics blog. He is also the author of Discover Your Inner Economist (Dutton, 2007) and numerous other books on economics. He writes regularly for the popular press on economics, including for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, and The Wilson Quarterly.  University web page: http://economics.gmu.edu/faculty/tcowen.html WATCH: Tyler Cowen at the Economic Bloggers Forum.


  • Headshot of Alex Tabarrok

    Alex Tabarrok

    Alex Tabarrok is Bartley J. Madden Chair in Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Tabarrok is co-author with Tyler Cowen of the popular economics blog, Marginal Revolution. His recent research looks at bounty hunters, judicial incentives and elections, crime control, patent reform, methods to increase the supply of human organs for transplant, and the regulation of pharmaceuticals. He is the editor of the books, Entrepreneurial Economics: Bright Ideas from the Dismal Science; The Voluntary City: Choice, Community, and Civil Society; and Changing the Guard: Private Prisons and The Control of Crime. His papers have appeared in the Journal of Law and Economics, Public Choice, Economic Inquiry, Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Theoretical Politics, The American Law and Economics Review, Kyklos and many other journals. His popular articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other magazines and newspapers.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 The Big Ideas

Chapter 2 The Power of Trade and Comparative Advantage

Part I Supply and Demand

Chapter 3 Supply and Demand

Chapter 4 Equilibrium

Chapter 5 Price Ceilings and Floors

Part II Economic Growth

Chapter 6 GDP and the Measurement of Progress

Chapter 7 The Wealth of Nations and Economic Growth

Chapter 8 Growth, Capital Accumulation, and the Economics of Ideas: Catching Up vs the Cutting Edge

Chapter 9 Saving, Investment, and the Financial System

Chapter 10 Stock Markets and Personal Finance

Part III Business Fluctuations

Chapter 11 Unemployment and the Labor Force Participation

Chapter 12 Inflation and the Quantity Theory of Money

Chapter 13 Business Fluctuations: Aggregate Demand and Supply

Chapter 14 Transmission and Amplification Mechanisms

Part IV Macroeconomic Policy and Institutions

Chapter 15 The Federal Reserve System and Aggregate Demand

Chapter 16 Monetary Policy

Chapter 17 The Federal Budget: Taxes and Spending

Chapter 18 Fiscal Policy

Part V International Economics

Chapter 19 International Trade

Chapter 20 International Finance

Chapter 21 Political Economy and Public Choice

Appendix A: Reading Graphs and Making Graphs

Appendix B: Solutions to Check Yourself Questions

Glossary

References

Index

Product Updates

Summer 2026 Updates

What's New

The Summer 2026 update brings new data activities, refreshed teaching resources, and extensive ebook revisions to help instructors teach economics with the latest research, policy developments, and real-world examples.

New in Achieve

  • New F.R.E.D. (Federal Reserve Economic Data) activities that help students work with authentic economic data.
  • Updated lecture slides featuring dynamic Datawrapper visualizations.
  • Refreshed student and instructor resources aligned with the latest ebook revisions.

New in the eBook

Highlights

  • Updated macroeconomic data throughout the ebook with the latest 2024–2025 figures.
  • Expanded coverage of current topics, including 2025 U.S. tariffs, Chinese EV tariffs, AI and economic growth, and recent Federal Reserve policy.
  • Enhanced explanations of core concepts, including GDP, economic growth, unemployment, inflation, monetary policy, and fiscal policy.
  • Added new real-world examples, figures, and policy discussions that connect economic theory to today's economy.

Chapter Updates

Major updates across the macroeconomics chapters improve clarity, incorporate current economic developments, and refresh data through 2024–2025. Highlights include:

  • Updates to GDP and the Measurement of Progress
  • Updates to the Wealth of Nations and Economic Growth
  • Updates to Growth, Capital Accumulation, and the Economics of Ideas
  • Updated examples and data on Unemployment and Labor Force Participation
  • Updates to Inflation and the Quantity Theory of Money
  • Updates to the Federal Reserve System and Aggregate Demand
  • Updates to Monetary Policy
  • Updates to the Federal Budget: Taxes and Spending
  • Updates to Fiscal Policy
  • Updated examples and data on International Trade

December 2025 Update: Impact of AI Modules

The Impact of AI modules in Achieve are a flexible, text-agnostic series of assignable, auto-graded activities designed to help students learn how to use AI responsibly through the lens of economics. Formats include case studies, simulations, and prompt engineering exercises.

Winter 2024 Updates:

The updated Econ Math and Graphing Tutorials in Achieve bridge foundational math gaps for economics students through revamped, interactive modules featuring modern videos, algorithmically generated questions, and improved assessments designed to deepen understanding and reflection. Comprehensive accessibility features ensure that all students can effectively engage with the material.

This materials covers 10 foundational areas including Slope, Graphs, Percent Change, Ratios, Linear Equations, Averages, and more.

Sixth Edition Updates (2024):

Interactive Graphs, in the e-book and in a Graphing Bank, allow students to engage with economic models to see how components of the graph change as market dynamics change. Every data graph in the text is now interactive, so students can explore live visualizations and improve their data literacy.

Learning Economics from AI! (in the preface) show students how to use resources such as ChatGPT or Bing Chat to get meaningful answers to economics questions. The cover for 6e was generated by author Alex Tabarroks use of AI, as well.

12 NEW Marginal Revolution University Videos in Achieve accompanied by assessment questions.

The Great Depression is over: Modern Principles focuses on the Great Financial Crisis and the Pandemic Recession, exemplifying the core of macroeconomics and policy. These events showcase a demand-driven recession followed by a supply-driven one, well-illustrated by our dynamic AD-AS model. Focusing on these recessions also moves the lessons beyond the shifting of curves and towards important discussions of shadow banking, securitization, the microeconomics of externalities, and how monetary and fiscal policy must change when the goal – as during a pandemic -- is not to get people back to work!

The new tools of the Federal Reserve: In the sixth edition, the authors emphasize that although the Federal Reserves ultimate power is the power to create money, its daily influence on aggregate demand is accomplished through the payment of interest on reserves held at the Fed. Open market operations are still relevant for discussions on quantitative easing and repurchase agreements, but the primary focus is on understanding how the Fed affects aggregate demand by adjusting interest on reserves.

Teach the Principles of Macroeconomics, teach the World, and help students ACHIEVE.

Modern Principles combines engaging explanations, real-world applications, and integrated multimedia to help students build a strong foundation in economics.

For more than 20 years, Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok have helped make economics more accessible through their teaching, writing, the Marginal Revolution blog, and educational videos. They bring that same approach to Modern Principles, connecting economic theory to the issues and decisions that matter most to today's students.

Building on the success of the Marginal Revolution University video series, Modern Principles integrates more than 100 explanatory videos throughout the text, helping students visualize key concepts and reinforce learning.

The text pairs clear explanations with intuitive graphs, real-world data, and contemporary policy debates to show how economics applies beyond the classroom. Designed for today's learners while maintaining academic rigor, Modern Principles helps students understand core economic principles and apply them to real-world questions.

Success Stories

Here are a few examples of how Achieve has helped instructors like you improve student preparedness, enhance their sense of belonging, and achieve course goals they set for themselves.

Prof. Kiandra Johnson, Spelman College

See how the resources in Achieve help you engage students before, during, and after class.

Prof. Jennifer Duncan

Use diagnostics in Achieve for a snapshot into cognitive and non-cognitive factors that may impact your students’ preparedness.

Prof. Ryan Elsenpeter

Here’s why educators who use Achieve would recommend it to their peers.

Related Titles

Instructor Resources

Need instructor resources for your course?

Unlock Your Resources

Instructor Resources

Access Test Bank

You need to sign in as a verified instructor to access the Test Bank.

request locked icon

Test Bank for Modern Principles: Macroeconomics

Tyler Cowen; Alex Tabarrok | Sixth Edition | ©2024 | ISBN:9781319483289

Learn more about our Test Banks or Sign up for training.

Download Resources

You need to sign in to unlock your resources.

request locked icon

Clicker Slides

request locked icon

Image Slides

request locked icon

Instructor's Resource Manual

request locked icon

Lecture Slides

request locked icon

Solutions Manual

Achieve C$129.99

ISBN:9781319483203

Access all your course tools in one place!

Retail: C$129.99 Wholesale: C$104.00



ISBN:9781319482893

ISBN:9781319483241

ISBN:9781319544157

If you can't find what you are looking for contact your sales rep.