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Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.)
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$ 12.47
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| Retail Value |
$ 15.99 |
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$ 3.52 (22%) |
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| Item Number |
581862 |
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Item Description...
Overview
The author offers his view of how the economy really works, examining issues from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing, offering a very different view on what drives the economy.
Publishers Description
Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? How much do parents really matter? These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the riddles of everyday life—from cheating and crime to parenting and sports—and reaches conclusions that turn conventional wisdom on its head. Freakonomics is a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They set out to explore the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real estate agents, the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, and much more. Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, they 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. |
Item Specifications...
Pages 315
Dimensions: Length: 1" Width: 5.25" Height: 8"
Weight: 0.58 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Sep 1, 2009
ISBN 0060731338
EAN 9780060731335
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Availability 80 units.
Availability accurate as of May 30, 2012 04:38.
Usually ships within one to two business days from Commerce GA.
Orders shipping to an address other than a confirmed Credit Card / Paypal Billing address may incur and additional processing delay.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | Entertaining Economics Apr 14, 2009 |
The subtitle of this book is a very apt, if slightly exaggerated description: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. Steven Levitt is certainly a rogue economist in that he uses the concepts of economy to look at many 'givens' in a completely new way. The results are often startling and thought provoking, although he certainly doesn't look at everything-at least in this book.
Most of us probably suffered through economics in school and the thought of reading a book about it when we don't have to does not sound like fun. Levitt, however, takes this science and spins it on its head, making it both entertaining and informative. By taking economic theory and applying it to everyday questions Levitt comes up with some theories that sound improbable and then proceeds to prove them. Many of his theories may cause some consternation; most outrageous of all is the idea that the reduction in crime over the years has less to do with more police and far more to do with the Roe v Wade decision.
This book was very entertaining, written in an engaging style. My biggest complaint is the New York Times article reprints at the end of the book, which basically re-hash what we have already read. The book is also too short and since I hated economics is school I find it ironic that I could want more! | | |  | An economist strikes again Apr 9, 2009 |
Economists have outsized egos for no discernible reason. Levitt is no exception.
One disturbing and all too common trait of economists is that they get easily confused. For example they confuse Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel as a Nobel Prize.
Second, they confuse the past with the future. Economists, if they're versed in the Economic religion-a-la-mode are tolerable at predicting the past, but repeatedly they're surprised by current events. And whenever their models fail to predict an event, they repeat well practiced mantras such as "It was a 10 sigma event" or "It was an event that only happens every ten billion years". What puzzles those of us who are not economists is that these extremely rare events seem to blind side economists at least once every ten years. But at no time does an economist question his theories or his models.
So, as far as I can tell Economics is a religion that only uses facts to support existing theories. It seems to be blasphemy to create a theory that objectively fit the facts.
So, this entertaining work "Freakonomics" is full of the type of light weight reasoning that we have come to expect from economists. For example, the insulting inference that legalized abortion helped curb the rise in crime is due to the author first acquiring a politically motivated theory out of thin air and then using only the facts that support the theory. | | |  | Fascinating Apr 8, 2009 |
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner is a book that draws connections between apparent mysteries of everyday life in a way on one else has. The author's feels that there is a drop in the crime rate because of the Roe v. Wade decision. Since more inner city babies are being aborted there are less violent criminals to commit the crimes. Levitt also feels that parenting methods don't matter much, your child will be influenced more by peer pressure than anything else. Basically according to the author's complex phenomena can be understood if we find the right viewpoint.
After you read this book it may be a good time to consider reading my book entitled "The Enlightenment, What God Told Me After One Million Prayers, a Message for Everyone" (See Profile Above)
| | | | Economics in "real" life Apr 1, 2009 |
This is a book by Steven Levitt, an economist who attempts to answer common questions using the laws of statistics and economics. Using these two basic principles he looks at cause-and-effect and their relation to our actual perception of events.
One section I particularly enjoyed dealt with sumo wrestling. Using statistics Mr. Levitt was able to show that many of the sumo wrestling matches were actually rigged. This allowed for more well-established wrestlers to progress in the hierarchy making more money, but still allow for newcomers in the field to build a following of fans. I also enjoyed how Mr. Levitt spent time with a group of crack dealers and outlined their "business model" complete with a structure of bosses and underlings.
I would give this book 5 stars because I enjoyed the principals of applying logic to explain entertaining and unique situations. I've already read a few portions of this book again and shared some of the stories with other readers and people that I work with. I have a background in science (biology, chemistry, physics) and really enjoyed the principles of applied economics and statistics. I would recommend this book to anyone who would want a nice quick read on a very interesting topic. | | | | Entertaining Mar 31, 2009 |
| I read this book about 3 years ago and came across it again when unpacking a box. I decided to re-read the book. This book is very entertaining. If you are looking for a deep content driven book on economics and theories, look elsewhere. There are a lot of non-sequitar fallacies in this book. Example, Bob likes cats and is a Giants fan. Therefore, all people who like cats are Giants fans. The book is more of an entertainment read. The authors are two highly touted, award-winning economists who reach certain theories based on non-traditional thinking and not empirical data. Read with an open mind and you will enjoy. | | | Write your own review about Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.)
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