IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST EDITION

Guided by extensive reviewer feedback and the improvements introduced in the fourth U.S. edition, our main goal in preparing our first Middle East edition has been to reorganize our presentation to accommodate the broadest possible range of student preparation. For example, while continuing to emphasize verbal and graphical approaches in the main text, we offer several appendices that allow for more detailed and challenging algebraic treatments of the same material. Among the hundreds of specific refinements we made, the following merit explicit mention:

• New structure of microeconomic principles: In response to reviews and feedback from the region, we have decided to reorganize the presentation of the microeconomics part of the text. We are optimistic that instructors and students alike will appreciate the new structure.

• Regional illustrations and economic naturalist examples: In this edition, we have added a number of illustrations and economic naturalist examples covering countries in the Middle East and Africa to some of the best international examples from the US Edition.

• Two new microeconomic chapters: In order to accommodate the teaching requirements of the relevant faculty, we have introduced two new chapters on costs of production and perfect competition.

• Integrated various concepts related to demand and supply: These concepts are now covered in a single chapter, Chapter 3.

• Use of regional data: Whenever possible and data permitting, we replaced U.S. charts and tables with regional data from countries in the Middle East and North Africa, such as Egypt, Morocco, and Turkey, amongst others.

• Introduction of macroeconomic concepts: Consistent with other economics textbooks, we have added discussions about the GDP deflator in Chapter 14 and fiat money, commodity money, and the money multiplier in Chapter 19.