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Freakonomics Rev Ed: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything :: 0061234001
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| Economics is not widely considered to be one of the sexier sciences. The annual Nobel Prize winner in that field never receives as much publicity as his or her compatriots in peace, literature, or physics. But if such slights are based on the notion that economics is dull, or that economists are concerned only with finance itself, Steven D. Levitt will change some minds. In Freakonomics (written with Stephen J. Dubner), Levitt argues that many apparent mysteries of everyday life don't need to be so mysterious: they could be illuminated and made even more fascinating by asking the right questions and drawing connections. For example, Levitt traces the drop in violent crime rates to a drop in violent criminals and, digging further, to the Roe v. Wade decision that preempted the existence of some people who would be born to poverty and hardship. Elsewhere, by analyzing data gathered from inner-city Chicago drug-dealing gangs, Levitt outlines a corporate structure much like McDonald's, where the top bosses make great money while scores of underlings make something below minimum wage. And in a section that may alarm or relieve worried parents, Levitt argues that parenting methods don't really matter much and that a backyard swimming pool is much more dangerous than a gun. These enlightening chapters are separated by effusive passages from Dubner's 2003 profile of Levitt in The New York Times Magazine, which led to the book being written. In a book filled with bold logic, such back-patting veers Freakonomics, however briefly, away from what Levitt actually has to say. Although maybe there's a good economic reason for that too, and we're just not getting it yet. --John Moe Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
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Author: Guest
Firstly,the title of this book is misleading. By giving a fancy name (Freakonomics!) and touting it as a exploration of a "rogue" economist about "everything", the publishers surely have succeded in capturing the attention of the readers and generating a big hype. In contrast, this book is more of a intruiging perspective of a Nobelprize winner Economist on things like Crime rate and the impact of RoevsWade & Crack trade on them; Nature vs Nurture and how much influence the style of parenting on children and few other topics. The tenuous connection with Economics is Levvitt makes use of available data for analysis to present his viewpoint. It's less about data, but asking the "right" questions and making the "right" connections. THis is definitely a talent Levitt possesses - looking at things from a different perspective and using data to back up his views (otherwise they would be empty musings) to reach astonishing conclusions, which should be obvious in the first place. For eg: the cheating in the Sumo wrestler circuit; Cheating by Teachers ; or the incentive to push through deals in their favour on the part of Realestate dealers. The similarity between the structure of Mcdonald corporate structure and Drug dealers (a cheeky comparision this!)..
Lot has already been written and commented about the conclusion of Levitt regarding the connection between abortion rights and dip in the crime rate from the 80's and Levitt explains the reasoning and analysis he did to make this assertion.
The book is an entertaining, light and breezy read, which probably explains it's popularity on the charts. This is more of "on the surface skim" type of exploration crafted more for popularity charts (and a quick buck?) and it succeeds on that front. My major grouse is, this could have been a great book had the publishers/authors put some thought in presenting the material with more depth, but on the quest for popularity (and less effort - since this is a rehash of the articles published in NYmagazine ), they have taken the easy route.
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Author: Guest
I hate reading, but this book caught my attention with some of the random things inside it. I bought it and read it and found it very interesting.
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Author: Guest
The book is engaging and surprisingly humorous read, which opened my mind to a whole new way of looking at the world. It was fascinating to see the synthesis between economics and our everyday lives. Events which seem disconnected or driven by other influences are revealed with great clarity as having basic economic principles behind them.
I can give you an example. Every part starts with an interesting question. Let's say: "What is the hidden cause of obesity in the USA? It is followed by numbers. As a PH.D in Sexuality I can tell you that there are more than 20+ million impotent American men. Many of them are married and their wives are equally, if not more sexually dissatisfied. This results in emotional eating, depression, alcoholism, smoking, etc abuses. Does this have economical effect? Of course yes, because only the blue pill's production earns billions. What can be done? I recommend to my clients staying up-to-date with the latest scientific discoveries revealed in bestsellers such as "Scientificlly guaranteed male multi-orgasms and ultimate sex".
The book reads as six articles from a quality magazine. Their questions will challenge you, their answers may provoke you, but the book is entertaining, thought-provoking and will likely change the way you view the world around you.
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Author: Guest
As an investment professional, I found this book to be an exploration in trvial information, better suited for someone attempting to get on Jeopardy than someone interested in understanding economic matters.
It's not that a book on economics need be dismal or dull. But what it should be is informative as to how and why the complex subject of economics (which is the study of the social dynamics of people) in a globalized world actually works.
We live in a dynamic time. Things are in flux. How a book on meaningless details that does not illuminate or enlighten does as well as this book is a mystery to me.
I know it is a very popular book. But being popular doesn't equate to quality or value.
On all accounts, this book sorely disappoints.
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Author: Guest
I usually read fiction, but this book is very interesting and full of facts or ideas that you want to tell your friends. It gives you a new perspective on a few things while being an entertaining read.
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