本书专门为经济学专业学生设计，较为系统介绍理论经济学和应用经济学各学科的基础知识和基本问题，内容涉及微观经济学、宏观经济学、人口资源与环境经济学、发展经济学、财政学等。为适应高校开课一学年学时的需求，设计了上下分册，本书在第三版下册基础上修订，更新完善了内容。

Unit One
Text: Income and Work
Additional Text: Income Distribution and Poverty
Unit Two
Text: Population
Additional Text: The Consequences of High Fertility:
Some Conflicting Opinions
Unit Three
Text: Human Resources Management
Additional Text: The Extensive Brain Drain
Unit Four
Text: Environmental Protection
Additional Text: Methods of Pollution Control
Unit Five
Text: Investments
Additional Text: The Major Types of Investors
Unit Six
Text: Insurance
Additional Text: Types of Insurance Businesses Need
Unit Seven
Text: Marketing
Additional Text: Marketing Strategies
Unit Eight
Text: International Trade
Additional Text: National Competitive Advantage and Diamond Model
Unit Nine
Text: WTO
Additional Text: GATT and Multilateral Trade Negotiations
Unit Ten
Text: Nontariff Barriers
Additional Text: Dumping and Antidumping
Unit Eleven
Text: Multinational Corporations
Additional Text: Foreign Direct Investment and Multinational Enterprises
Unit Twelve
Text: Foreign Aid
Additional Text: The World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund
Unit Thirteen
Text: Economic Globalization
Additional Text: Regional Economic Integration
Unit Fourteen
Text: The European Union
Additional Text: The Broad Economic Guidelines of the EU
Appendix Ⅰ Answers to Exercises
Appendix Ⅱ Chinese Translation of the Texts