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Freakonomics

A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

By Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

(72)

| Paperback | 9780713999082

Book Description

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?

These may not sound like typical quest Continue

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?

These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded young scholar who studies the riddles of everyday life-from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing — and whose conclusions regularly turn the conventional wisdom on its head. He usually begins with a mountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: Freakonomics.

Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives - how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they set out to explore the hidden side of — well, everything. The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan.

What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a surfeit of obfuscation, complication, and downright deceit, is not impenetrable, is not unknowable, and - if the right questions are asked - is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking. Steven Levitt, through devilishly clever and clear-eyed thinking, shows how to see through all the clutter.

Freakonomics establishes this unconventional premise: if morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work. It is true that readers of this book will be armed with enough riddles and stories to last a thousand cocktail parties. But Freakonomics can provide more than that. It will literally redefine the way we view the modern world.

13 Reviews

  • 10 people find this helpful

    Two quotes from the last chapter:

    "The most likely result of having read this book is a simple one: you may find yourself asking a lot of questions. Many of them will lead to nothing. But some will produce answers that are interesting, even surprising."

    "You might become more skeptical o ... (continue)

    Two quotes from the last chapter:

    "The most likely result of having read this book is a simple one: you may find yourself asking a lot of questions. Many of them will lead to nothing. But some will produce answers that are interesting, even surprising."

    "You might become more skeptical of the conventional wisdom; you may begin looking for hints as to why things aren't quite what they seem; perhaps you will seek out some trove of data and sift through it, balancing your intelligence and your intuition to arrive at a glimmering new idea"

    Is this helpful?

    ― disturbingtheuniverse said on May 27, 2006 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

  • 1 person find this helpful

    Interesting application of economic theory to things that it would not seem to apply to. He makes a few pretty wild leaps to conclusions that are interesting but probably not terribly accurate.

    Is this helpful?

    ― Kent Barrett said on Aug 4, 2008 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

  • 1 person find this helpful

    Reminded me that (1) correlation doesn't equal causation and (2) just because a piece of data is measurable, that doesn't mean it is the right thing to measure.

    Is this helpful?

    ― jbaglio said on Apr 19, 2007 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

  • I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it so much, I read it twice. :)

    Honestly, this book is good because you don't any prior knowledge of economics to get through it. The authors do a wonderful job of informing you about Levitt's (/w others) studies without going too dry with the material.

    All ... (continue)

    I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it so much, I read it twice. :)

    Honestly, this book is good because you don't any prior knowledge of economics to get through it. The authors do a wonderful job of informing you about Levitt's (/w others) studies without going too dry with the material.

    All that said, because I don't know about economics, I take all of the information in this book with a grain of salt. I think his ideas are very interesting but I certainly don't know enough to pass judgment on what exactly is being said.

    Overall, I recommend this book as light reading. Don't take the subject matter too seriously or you might be offended, certainly offended. Be objective.

    Is this helpful?

    ― hypnotic_shower said on Dec 9, 2009 | Add your feedback

  • Each chapter seems to be talking independent issues, but once you read on, you realize it's all interconnected.
    Reading it makes me want to know more, dig deeper. What happen to the people now? What's the newest statistics? How can we change lives accordingly?

    This book gives me moti ... (continue)

    Each chapter seems to be talking independent issues, but once you read on, you realize it's all interconnected.
    Reading it makes me want to know more, dig deeper. What happen to the people now? What's the newest statistics? How can we change lives accordingly?

    This book gives me motivation to do things that can change our lives dramatically!

    Is this helpful?

    ― Waterm00n said on Mar 11, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

  • Wow Levitt and Dubner provide an entirely new way to use economic analysis to provide new insight into old problems and misconceptions.

    Is this helpful?

    ― Marko 45142 said on Feb 25, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

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ISBN Edition List Sale Seller
9780713999082 Paperback $20.96 $14.25 Amazon US
£10.99 -- Amazon UK
$19.41 -- Amazon CA
¥2884.00 ¥2596.00 Amazon JP
€17.2 -- Amazon FR
-- €16.92 Amazon DE
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