Economics Books for UPSC
Economics Books for UPSC are extremely crucial for the candidates to cover all the micro and macroeconomics topics that can be asked in the civil services exam. Economics is a major section of the UPSC prelims GS paper I and IAS mains GS paper III. With this, economics is also one of the UPSC mains optional subject.
The right economics books for UPSC will help you to prepare efficiently for all three stages of the UPSC exam including prelims, mains, and the personality test. As there are a plethora of options available in the market and online, choosing the right economics book for UPSC can be a challenging task.
In this blog, we have curated the list of best economics books for UPSC for all the exam stages along with the best preparation strategies.
Economics Books for UPSC 2023
Choosing the right books and study resources for the preparation of the economics section can be a daunting ask. The UPSC economics syllabus covers both micro and macroeconomics providing detailed insights into economic growth, development, poverty, employment, and other issues.
Candidates are advised to cover the NCERT economics books first and then pick the standard books to cover the advanced-level topics. This will allow them to learn the fundamentals easily and then apply the concepts when studying the advanced-level economics books for UPSC.
Best Economics Books for UPSC Prelims
Candidates will have to cover the Economics section in the UPSC prelims Syllabus. It includes topics like economic and social development, social issues, demographics, poverty, etc. We shared below the expert-recommended economics books for UPSC for the ease of the aspirants.
- NCERT class 11 India’s Economic Development
- Economic Development & Policies in India by Jain & Ohri
- Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania
- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
Best Economics Books for UPSC Mains
The Economics section is a part of the UPSC GS 3 Syllabus. The mains syllabus primarily focuses on the Indian economy, infrastructure, budgeting, and other related topics. Here, we have compiled the best economics books for UPSC mains preparation that would be helpful in scoring high marks in the exam.
- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
- Indian Economy by Uma Kapila
- The Indian Economy by Sanjiv Verma
- India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
- Indian Economy by Datt and Sundharam
- Indian Economy Key Concepts by Sankarganesh K
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Best Economics Books for UPSC Optional Subject
Economics is one of the optional subjects for UPSC. To prepare well for the optional paper, it is crucial to get your hands on the best books for clarity on concepts. Going by the past year's exam analysis, the difficulty level of optional papers has been moderate to difficult. Mentioned below are the best books for studying economics as an optional subject.
- Indian Economy by R. Dutt and KPM Sundaram
- Banking by S.B. Gupta
- Growth and Development by M L Jhingan
- International Economics by Bo Soderston
- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
- Dictionary of Economics by Graham Bannock; T.E. Baxter, Ray Rees
- Economic Growth and Development by Mayer and Baldwin
- Economics Choice by Koutsweanik
- Modern Banking by R.S. Sayers
- Macroeconomic Analysis by Edward Shapiro
- Monetary Theory and Public Policy by Kenneth Kurihara
How to Cover Economics Book for UPSC?
To commence exam preparation with the economics book for UPSC, one should follow the robust strategy to maximize the scores in the economics section. Here are the tips and tricks to prepare well for this section:
- Analyze the UPSC syllabus for prelims and mains exams carefully to get an idea of the topics important for the economics section.
- Pick NCERTs books to cover all the basic concepts of economics and then use reference books like Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh, India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra, etc for the advanced level preparation.
- Learn the basic fundamentals of topics like growth, development, banking inclusion, human development, money, etc to score well in the exam.
- Read the newspaper and journals daily to stay updated with the latest economic development across the world.
- Create short notes while studying any topic from the economics books for the UPSC as it will be useful in the last-minute revision period.
- Solve the UPSC previous year's question papers to know about the actual pattern and types of questions often asked from this section. It is also one of the best resources to revise the entire economics syllabus for UPSC timely.
Important Topics from Economics Book for UPSC
Candidates need to pick the economics books for UPSC based on the latest syllabus. It will help them to cover only the topics that are important from the perspective of civil services examination. Here is the list of important topics that one must focus on:
- Indian Economy
- Poverty
- MSMEs
- Make in India
- NITI Aayog
- Fiscal policy
- Social Issues
- Black Money
- Reserve Bank of India