Contemporary Economics: Theory, Policy and Global Challenges

Contemporary Economics: Theory, Policy and Global Challenges is an undergraduate textbook that introduces the core principles of economics and applies them to the issues shaping the modern world. It begins with the foundations of microeconomics and macroeconomics, then covers economic growth, inflation and unemployment, and the monetary and fiscal policy tools governments use to stabilise economies. It extends this analysis to the global economy through international trade and finance. The later chapters address areas often treated lightly in introductory texts: development economics, behavioural economics, the digital economy, climate economics and inequality. The book closes with the challenges likely to define the coming decades.

Each chapter combines clear theoretical exposition with policy application and a real-world case study, with particular attention to examples from South Asia and other emerging economies. Chapters include learning objectives, key terms, review questions and problem sets. The book aims to give students both the analytical tools of mainstream economics and an awareness of its newer frontiers, so they can reason about real policy problems rather than only solve textbook exercises.