This comprehensive introduction to economics balances theory and empirical reality. In microeconomics, the text includes a description of the basic market structure, the organization of the firm and an analysis of the factors of production (labour, capital and land). An extended section on welfare economics examines the issue of efficiency and equity in the market economy. The analysis of macroeconomics begins with national income accounting and explores the concepts of aggregate demand and aggregate supply. Demand management and supply side economics are introduced. A final part of the text studies international trade and finance, the economics of the EC and the issue of low-income countries. The new chapters in this edition include an analysis of neo-classical theories of growth, the convergence hypothesis, the endogenous growth theory, a discussion of real business cycle theories and their policy implications, the real wage puzzle, and the existence of an international business cycle.