Authors James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Russell S. Sobel, and David Macpherson believe that a course on principles of economics should focus on the power and relevance of the economic way of thinking. It is this belief and corresponding writing approach that has made MICROECONOMICS: PRIVATE AND PUBLIC CHOICE one of South Western Thomson Learning's most solid and enduring texts. Throughout this text, the authors integrate applications and real-world data in an effort to make the basic concepts of economics come alive for the reader.