Notes on Microeconomic Theory
Professor of Finance
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL 61820
Notes on Microeconomic Theory
The following notes were designed to accompany API 109i and API 111 / Econ 2020a / HBS 4401 (Harvard University). They provide commentary on the text and contain most of what I cover in lecture. However, they are not meant as substitutes for the text or lectures, which are the ultimate guide to the material in the course.
The notes are meant to accompany, not replace, the recommended texts for the course. The recommended texts are:
Mas-Colell, Whinston, and Green, Microeconomic Theory, Oxford University Press (1995).
To buy the book, click here for amazon.com or here for bn.com.
Supplementary Economics Texts:
Silberberg and Suen, The Structure of Economics: A Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill 2001.
To buy the book, click here for amazon.com or here for bn.com.
Jehle and Reny, Advanced Microeconomic Theory, Second Edition, Addison Wesley Longman (2001).
Supplementary Math Texts:
Simon and Blume, Mathematics for Economists, W. W. Norton and Co. (1994).
To buy the book, click here for amazon.com or here for bn.com.
Chiang and Wainwright, Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics, Mc-Graw Hill.
To buy the book, click here for amazon.com or here for bn.com.
The notes are still in a preliminary stage. As such, they most likely contain typographical errors and confusing passages. I ask that students keep this in mind if they choose to use these notes. I welcome comments from students regarding errors in the notes or places where they can be made clearer.
Files for individual chapters (August 2006 Version)
Table of Contents and Chapter 1: The Economic Approach
Chapter 2: Consumer Theory Basics
Chapter 3: The Traditional Approach To Consumer Theory
Chapter 4: Topics in Consumer Theory
Chapter 6: Choice Under Uncertainty
Chapter 7: Competitive Markets and Partial Equilibrium Analysis
Chapter 8: Externalities and Public Goods
Multi-chapter files
The First Half: Chapters 1 - 4
The Second Half: Chapters 5 - 9
Other Handouts
You, the Kuhn-Tucker Conditions, and You: An intuitive guide to when to use the Kuhn-Tucker conditions and what they do.
