It’s time again for us to profile one of our favorite textbook authors, today featuring Jonathan Gruber of Public Finance and Public Policy fame — the text from Econ 271 last term. I certainly endorse everything about the book aside from the $200 price tag, and Alex Tabarrok calls this one of the best textbooks ever. If you don’t want to wait around for me to teach 271 again, you can go straight to the source through MIT’s open courseware program.
As I pointed out in class a few dozen times, Gruber is a big deal in health economics, and Slate.com has a nice profile as part of its “most innovative and practical thinkers of our time” series. The dog bites man here is that Gruber has his hands both in Massachusetts health care reform (Romneycare), as well in the recent federal health care legislation (Obamacare). Slate’s contrarian instincts find the potential 2012 presidential showdown between Romney and Obama too delicious a prospect to pass up.
Also included is an interview with Professor Gruber, along with a preview of the forthcoming health economics comic book, er, graphic novel. Wow.
wow indeed.