Economics for Real People: An Introduction to the Austrian School

By: Gene Callahan

Narrated by: Ken Petrie

The second edition of the fun and fascinating guide to the main ideas of the Austrian School of economics, written in sparkling prose, especially for the non-economist. Gene Callahan shows that good economics isn't about government planning or statistical models - it's about human beings and the choices they make in the real world.

This may be the most important book of its kind since Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson. Though written for the beginner, it has been justly praised by scholars too, including Israel Kirzner, Walter Block, and Peter Boettke.

©2004 Eugene Callahan (P)2018 Listen and Think Audio

The missing piece of the economic puzzle

To understand how micro and macro come into play, you need to understand the socioeconomic foundations they are built on. This book would give you Exactly that!

A Practical Introduction to Austrian Economics

This book offers an excellent and approachable introduction to Austrian economics. Very layman friendly.

Good intro to Austrian eco, but tendentious

Before giving my review I want to clarify that I have an undergraduate degree in economics and I'm largely sympathetic to the Austrian school of economics. That said, I didn't find this to be a particularly good book--unless you A) know nothing at all about the Austrian school, and B) enjoy being preached to. I fit neither category so I didn't enjoy it much.

As far as explaining concepts, the book does an acceptable job, and it liberally cites from all the great Austrian scholars. But the explanations feel tendentious and one-sided; there's no serious dialogue or conversation taking place here, just the author lecturing to a trapped audience. I like the Austrian school, and I want a better job to be done representing it.