---
product_id: 20970213
title: "Economics: The User's Guide"
price: "11157 som"
currency: KGS
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.kg/products/20970213-economics-the-users-guide
store_origin: KG
region: Kyrgyzstan
---

# Economics: The User's Guide

**Price:** 11157 som
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Economics: The User's Guide
- **How much does it cost?** 11157 som with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.kg](https://www.desertcart.kg/products/20970213-economics-the-users-guide)

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## Description

Economics: The User's Guide [Chang, Ha-Joon] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Economics: The User's Guide

Review: A must read if you want a balanced approach to economics - This is my 3rd read for Ha Joon Chang, highly recommend his books, especially this one in case you want to learn how to navigate economics, while maintaining a balanced and nuanced approach
Review: A biased guide, but interesting and worthwhile nonetheless - Being a fan of his prior work, I was excited to see that Dr. Chang has written a book on general economics. For better or for worse, the book lived up to its name. This book initially felt to me like the manual that comes with a new gadget that you should really read before using it, but you put it away because the manual has way too many steps and words. The book begins with a detailed discussion on basic concepts like capitalism, money, monopoly, and proceeds to cover different schools of economic thought. Unlike his prior books, it did feel like I really needed to take notes along the way to keep up with the broad scope and depth of the book. I probably got on and off the book several times before I got into it enough to actually finish the book. But just like reading a manual is often times worth the effort and gives you a better sense of how to property use your gadget, the broad and detailed discussions of the book are definitely worth the read. In ways that perhaps only he can provide, Dr. Chang gives readers an alternative take on many of the concepts that mainstream economics or the media doesn’t talk much about, even in mundane subject like the definition of GDP. Perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising given his background and his prior works that Dr. Chang would provide a different view on things than mainstream economists. However, it did feel like in many parts of the book that things were a bit biased and unjust in that alternative views and interpretation of the evidence was not provided enough, especially in discussing things outside his area of expertise. For example, in discussing ow the “unholy alliance” between short-term investors and professional managers have reduced the ability of corporations to make long-term investment, Dr. Chang cites evidence that the largest US companies now payout 94% of their profits to shareholders compared to 35 to 45% in the decades past. While this is true, the book fails to mention that the percentage of publicly traded firms distributing their profits via dividends or share repurchases has actually gone down over the years. So in recent decades, the payouts are more concentrated in the largest and most mature firms while other firms are more likely to retain profits. One could argue that this is exactly what you would want in an efficient economy where the profits of the old and mature companies to get redistributed to younger firms with more potential, and may have nothing to do with the markets becomes more short-term oriented. This is one of many places in the book where more balanced view would have helped the “users” to see a broader picture. But ultimately, the biases in the book is what makes this an interesting read, and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone interested in delving a little bit deeper into some of the common issues in economics.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #50,641 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #12 in Macroeconomics (Books) #25 in International Economics (Books) #67 in Economic History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,501 Reviews |

## Images

![Economics: The User's Guide - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91o6rzxtcNL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must read if you want a balanced approach to economics
*by N***A on September 12, 2024*

This is my 3rd read for Ha Joon Chang, highly recommend his books, especially this one in case you want to learn how to navigate economics, while maintaining a balanced and nuanced approach

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A biased guide, but interesting and worthwhile nonetheless
*by S***N on June 6, 2020*

Being a fan of his prior work, I was excited to see that Dr. Chang has written a book on general economics. For better or for worse, the book lived up to its name. This book initially felt to me like the manual that comes with a new gadget that you should really read before using it, but you put it away because the manual has way too many steps and words. The book begins with a detailed discussion on basic concepts like capitalism, money, monopoly, and proceeds to cover different schools of economic thought. Unlike his prior books, it did feel like I really needed to take notes along the way to keep up with the broad scope and depth of the book. I probably got on and off the book several times before I got into it enough to actually finish the book. But just like reading a manual is often times worth the effort and gives you a better sense of how to property use your gadget, the broad and detailed discussions of the book are definitely worth the read. In ways that perhaps only he can provide, Dr. Chang gives readers an alternative take on many of the concepts that mainstream economics or the media doesn’t talk much about, even in mundane subject like the definition of GDP. Perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising given his background and his prior works that Dr. Chang would provide a different view on things than mainstream economists. However, it did feel like in many parts of the book that things were a bit biased and unjust in that alternative views and interpretation of the evidence was not provided enough, especially in discussing things outside his area of expertise. For example, in discussing ow the “unholy alliance” between short-term investors and professional managers have reduced the ability of corporations to make long-term investment, Dr. Chang cites evidence that the largest US companies now payout 94% of their profits to shareholders compared to 35 to 45% in the decades past. While this is true, the book fails to mention that the percentage of publicly traded firms distributing their profits via dividends or share repurchases has actually gone down over the years. So in recent decades, the payouts are more concentrated in the largest and most mature firms while other firms are more likely to retain profits. One could argue that this is exactly what you would want in an efficient economy where the profits of the old and mature companies to get redistributed to younger firms with more potential, and may have nothing to do with the markets becomes more short-term oriented. This is one of many places in the book where more balanced view would have helped the “users” to see a broader picture. But ultimately, the biases in the book is what makes this an interesting read, and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone interested in delving a little bit deeper into some of the common issues in economics.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cheap book for good quality
*by B***B on August 28, 2025*

I bought a used good copy of this book. It arrived in way better condition then I thought pages were good condition, and only minor smudging on the surface

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*Product available on Desertcart Kyrgyzstan*
*Store origin: KG*
*Last updated: 2026-03-04*