----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- Some perspective on predecessors to the micro-macro distinction can be gleaned by looking at earlier editions of Samuelson's Economics textbook. My quick browse of these editions indicates that the earliest edition of Samuelson in which the micro-macro distinction turns up is the 4th edition, published in 1958. Even in this edition, Macro and Micro are not used as headings for separate parts of the book. Instead, the beginning of part III on the Composition of National Income begins with the query "Macroeconomics versus macroeconomics?" In these earlier editions, what would more recently be termed macroeconomics is called "Determinants of National Income and its Fluctuations." The microeconomic sections are headed "Composition of National Income" and "Distribution of National Income." OF course Samuelson's book is known for being one of the first, though not the first, introductory textbooks to incorporate Keynesian ideas. More on this can be found in Kenneth Elzinga's article on the various editions of Samuelson in the Southern Economic Journal, 1992 based on his Presidential address to the SEA. When I was a student at U.of Chicago in the 1970's the distinction made was between Price Theory and Money/Theory of National Income and the Price Level. I also seem to recall Milton Friedman saying there was no useful distinction between macro and micro but mentioning there was a distinction between partial and general equilibrium theory. Among other earlier textbooks, one could look at Marshall's Principles of Economics, which in the first few editions was labelled vol.I implying that a vol.II was to be forthcoming. The material in Vol.I would roughly correspond to the value and distribution part -- i.e. loosely micro. One can find in the literature on Marshall a discussion of what would have gone into Vol.II and did go into some of his subsequent publications. But I will leave it to those more knowledgeable on Marshall than I to fill this in. David Mitch University of Maryland Baltimore County ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]