News Releases

New Microeconomics Text

For Release Upon Receipt - March 1, 2010

Cave Hill


A new economics book with novel insights to put developing countries on the cutting edge of global competitiveness is now available to students and economists.

Microeconomics; a global text by Dr. Judy Whitehead, a senior lecturer in the Department of Economics at Cave Hill, provides an unprecedented approach to understanding and researching in microeconomics. Though targeted at advanced undergraduate and post graduate students, it is expected to assist developmental economists in formulating strategies to help businesses compete domestically and internationally, and catapult countries into the vanguard of global trade.

Subjected to rigorous international scholarly examination prior to publication, the single-authored book is Dr. Whitehead’s third full length book amidst a career output comprising several publications. Dr. Whitehead, a UWI graduate, also holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Waterloo and a PhD degree from the University of Edinburgh. She has served on numerous committees at UWI and has previously served both as Head of the Department of Economics and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

In describing the painstaking process of producing her latest work, Dr. Whitehead acknowledged the 512-page publication as a labour of love because of her fondness for the subject of microeconomics.  It hit bookstores this year after undergoing intense peer review and having to conform to the precise in-house editing style of publishers Rouledge of London.

Confessing that she waited anxiously during the various stages of the review process, the senior lecturer who has sat as a director on numerous national committees and boards of management in Barbados said: “I knew it was different. I knew it was new and I was wondering what people would think about the material. 

 “The publishers had said to me that I needed three positive recommendations out of four and fortunately for me the first three which came in were highly positive… Eventually six reports were returned before the editorial board met and all highly commended the text.” said Dr. Whitehead.

Microeconomics is concerned with the production, consumption and distribution of goods by the micro units of individuals, firms and markets within the economy. Often students and seasoned economists shy away from it deeming it abstract and difficult because of its heavy reliance on calculus; they therefore lean more towards macroeconomics which deals with the bigger picture of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment and other aggregate indicators. Dr. Whitehead’s book shows, by its easy style, that microeconomics is neither that difficult nor abstract and that its applications are vital especially to domestic producers having to operate in a globalised market.

 

 

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