Economics
Public and Labor Economics
7 books for Public and Labor Economics, part of the Economics course map, listed from introductory to advanced. 1 of them have an official free edition.
Suggested reading compiled by this site for university students and independent learners. This is not an official university reading plan. Check your own syllabus before buying; editions and exercise numbers differ.
Books in this reading list · 7
Reading order
-
Taxation: A Very Short Introduction
A concise introduction to the economics of taxation by a public economist who worked for many years on tax policy. It explains why governments tax, how tax systems are built, who ends up bearing taxes, and how economists weigh efficiency against fairness when judging tax reforms, with examples from many countries.
Prerequisites: None; the book assumes no economics and explains each idea in plain language.
-
The Economics of Inequality
A short primer on the economics of inequality, translated from a book long used in French universities. It explains how economists measure inequality and analyse its causes, distinguishing inequality between capital and labour from inequality in earnings, and then assesses the tools governments use to redistribute income through taxes, transfers and labour-market policy.
Prerequisites: No prior economics is required, though some familiarity with introductory economics helps with the discussion of markets and wages.
-
Global Cities at Work: New Migrant Divisions of Labour
Read the official free edition ↗A free empirical study of migrant labour in London, connecting low pay, subcontracting, gender, survival strategies and collective political organisation.
Prerequisites: An introductory labour economics, urban geography or sociology course is useful. Be able to compare a wage statistic with interview evidence and distinguish a claim about institutions from one about individual preferences.
-
Modern Labor Economics: Theory and Public Policy
An undergraduate labour economics textbook that builds the economic analysis of labour markets from demand and supply and applies it throughout to public policy questions. It explains the theory in words and diagrams, reviews the empirical evidence, and uses policy applications on minimum wages, taxation, social insurance, immigration and discrimination.
Prerequisites: A principles of microeconomics course is enough; the text relies on graphs and does not require calculus or econometrics.
-
Public Finance and Public Policy
An undergraduate textbook on the economics of government, written by an economist closely involved in US health and tax policy. It pairs each theoretical topic with empirical evidence on how policies actually work, covering why governments intervene, how social insurance and public programmes are designed, and how taxes affect behaviour and the distribution of income.
Prerequisites: Intermediate microeconomics is ideal, though a strong principles course and basic algebra are enough for most chapters.
-
Labor Economics
A comprehensive graduate textbook on labour economics that sets theory and empirical evidence side by side. Cahuc, Carcillo and Zylberberg cover labour supply and demand, wage setting, human capital, search and matching unemployment and the evaluation of labour market policies, giving each topic both formal models and a review of econometric findings.
Prerequisites: Intermediate microeconomics, calculus and introductory econometrics are assumed.
-
Smart and Illicit: Who Becomes an Entrepreneur and Do They Earn More?
An analysis of U.S. entrepreneurs using CPS and NLSY data, distinguishing incorporated from unincorporated self-employment to examine how education, aptitude, self-esteem, and youthful illicit behavior relate to entrepreneurial choice and earnings.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate labor economics and econometrics. Review panel data, earnings regressions, selection and omitted variables; understand why incorporated and unincorporated self-employment are different empirical categories.