The Economics of Growth

by Philippe Aghion, Peter Howitt

This comprehensive introduction to economic growth presents the main facts and puzzles about growth, proposes simple methods and models needed to explain these facts, acquaints the reader with the most recent theoretical and empirical developments, and provides tools with which to analyze policy design. The treatment of growth theory is fully accessible to students with a background no more advanced than elementary calculus and probability theory; the reader need not master all the subtleties of dynamic programming and stochastic processes to learn what is essential about such issues as cross-country convergence, the effects of financial development on growth, and the consequences of globalization. The book, which grew out of courses taught by the authors at Harvard and Brown universities, can be used both by advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and as a reference for professional economists in government or international financial organizations.

The Economics of Growth first presents the main growth paradigms: the neoclassical model, the AK model, Romer's product variety model, and the Schumpeterian model. The text then builds on the main paradigms to shed light on the dynamic process of growth and development, discussing such topics as club convergence, directed technical change, the transition from Malthusian stagnation to sustained growth, general purpose technologies, and the recent debate over institutions versus human capital as the primary factor in cross-country income differences. Finally, the book focuses on growth policies -- analyzing the effects of liberalizing market competition and entry, education policy, trade liberalization, environmental and resource constraints, and stabilization policy -- and the methodology of growth policy design. All chapters include literature reviews and problem sets. An appendix covers basic concepts of econometrics.

Genres: Economics, Textbooks

520 pages, Hardcover

First published December 19, 2008

About the author

He is Robert C. Waggoner Professor of Economics at Harvard University, Professor of Economics at London School of Economics, and an invited professor at the Paris School of Economics, having previously been Professor at University College London, an Official Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford, and an Assistant Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Reviews

[Fleur_de_soie]

　　My text. Not cover the entire book, but the majority.
　　
　　Clean explanation;
　　Neat math notes;
　　Well organized, one could easily follow on the author's leading and pace;
　　But not as intuitive as I expected.
　　
　　Not as rigorous and comprehensive as Acemoglu's, but I think it is enough for 1st year grad students not in this track. It is said the author completed the book in 5 years to make it early enough to compete with Acemoglu's. His goal is realized.

[Vysloczil]

It is not a graduate text. It's level is somewhat between undergrad texts like David Weil's or Vollrath's & Jones' and full graduate texts like Acemoglu's (or the parts on growth models in Romer's Advanced Macro text).

OLG models receive little attention.