In a recent article in the New York Times by senior economic correspondent Neil Irwin, How Stanford Took on the Giants of Economics, he notes that “The center of gravity for economic thought in the United States has long been found along the two miles in Cambridge, Mass., that run between Harvard University and M.I.T. But there is new competition for that title, and it is quite a bit farther west.”  In the past few years, Stanford’s Economics Department has enticed an all-star lineup of economists to Palo Alto to fend off Harvard’s and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s attempts to woo Stanford economists.

He went on to relate the recent growth of the department with “empirical microeconomics,” the analysis of how things work in the real world.  He wrote that economics is moving away from theoretical modeling and, with the help of large data sets and expertise in field such as sociology and computer science, toward opportunities that take advantage of large data sets that are hard to compile and analyze.

Neil Irwin is a senior economic correspondent at The New York Times. You can access the article here.

The Handbooks in Economics are deeply rooted in this non-doctrinaire approach to economic research.  Nobel laureate Kenneth Arrow, a Stanford economics professor, co-founded the Handbooks in Economics in 1983. They provide the various branches of economics with handbooks which are definitive reference sources, suitable for use by professional researchers, advanced graduate students, or by those seeking a teaching supplement.

With contributions from leading researchers including other Nobel laureates, each volume presents an accurate, self-contained survey of the current state of the topic under examination. Elsevier editor Scott Bentley notes that in 2016, the series will publish the Handbook of Commercial Policy, vol. 1 co-edited by Stanford’s Kyle Bagwell; the Handbook of the Economics of Education, vol. 5, co-edited by Stanford’s Eric Hanushek; and the Handbook of Macroeconomics, vols. 2A and 2B, co-edited by Stanford’s John Taylor.  All will carry on a tradition that embraces multiple approaches to economic problems and a dedication to rigor, thoroughness, and the highest standards of craft.

For more information about the Handbooks in Economics, visit the Elsevier Store. Apply discount code STC215 to receive up to 25% off the list price and free global shipping including new releases like Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, Handbook of Income Distribution, Handbook of the Economics of International Migration, and Handbook of Media Economics