A Guide for the Young Economist: Writing and Speaking Effectively about Economics.

• Author: Hamermesh, Daniel S.

William Thomson.

Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001. Pp. xiv, 118. $17.95 (paperback).

Is there a need for this slim book? Anyone who answers no surely has not read a graduate student's draft thesis chapter, attended a job-market seminar, or refereed a paper. Indeed, this Guide should be read by every young economist under the age of 90. The volume is especially relevant for economic theorists, as much of the author's exposition, particularly in the first essay (which constitutes over half the three-essay book), deals specifically with writing papers in economic theory--the author's subspecialty.

The book grew out of an essay in the Journal of Economic Literature. The expanded version of that essay forms Chapter 1. Much of the advice is offered with specific "dos" and "don'ts", and much is presented in the form of lists. The advice specific to theorists includes information on (i) writing proofs with the proper mix of mathematics and English, (ii) appropriate notation, (iii) mixing numerical illustrations with generalizations, and (iv) avoiding excess verbiage. Much of this advice can be viewed as constituting a Strunk and White Elements of Style, for economic theory. Just as everyone in the United States over age 45 read and benefited from that volume in high school or college, so could every theorist read and benefit from this chapter.

Even old-fogy nontheorists like me can learn a lot from this chapter, whereas graduate students and young economists can gain even more. Thomson urges students to write in short sentences to maintain clarity. He makes it clear that a literature review should not be a guide to the literature. Instead, it should be integrated into the author's presentation to elucidate how the new work expands upon previous efforts. Most important, Thomson repeatedly stresses that the market is flooded with economics papers. One must indicate clearly how one's product is differentiated and why the reader should devote time to it.

Chapter 2 is an essay on presenting work verbally--at seminars, conferences, or professional meetings. Much of the focus is specifically on job-market seminars, often the first venue where the young economist confronts a potentially unsympathetic audience. The importance of using transparencies is stressed, although Thomson rightly appears to deplore what has recently become an excessive reliance on transparencies (including implicitly the bane of the late 1990s, the PowerPoint presentation). The...