Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
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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
Product 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? How did the legalization of abortion affect the rate of violent crime?
These may not sound like typical questions for an econo-mist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded scholar who studies the riddles of everyday life—from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing—and whose conclusions turn conventional wisdom on its head.
Freakonomics is a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They usually begin with a mountain of data and a simple 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 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 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 Klu Klux Klan.
What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a great deal of complexity 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.
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.
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
Product 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? How did the legalization of abortion affect the rate of violent crime?
These may not sound like typical questions for an econo-mist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded scholar who studies the riddles of everyday life—from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing—and whose conclusions turn conventional wisdom on its head.
Freakonomics is a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They usually begin with a mountain of data and a simple 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 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 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 Klu Klux Klan.
What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a great deal of complexity 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.
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.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Switching mind
Great book that it helps to switch your minfd to see the life from a different perspective
Rating: - Interesting and fun!
I purchased the audiobook to listen to on a road trip and found Freakonomics to be engaging and great for starting discussions! Time passed quickly while listening, and I was left wishing there was more when I got to the end. I gave four stars only because some of the book's main points are discussed in the lengthy introduction, and then again in the body of the book which is a little repetitive.
Rating: 
- Learn to Think Rather Than Be Persuaded
I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I am critical of conventional wisdom. People who believe everything they hear are living in the dark and are at the mercy of media outlets or the closest busy-body. Much of our culture likes to believe things that are convenient. This can be seen in religion, politics, and even in someone's diet plan. The authors of Freakonomics do a wonderful job of analyzing the gullibility factor in our society. More importantly, they do a tremendous job of challenging the reader ... Read More
Rating: - Feakonomics Review
What do a teacher and a sumo wretler have in common? How can a real estate agent possibly relate to the KKK? These are both are questions regarding how certain factors relate to one another in the real world. Who would have known that both sumo wresters and teachers cheat in a similar way in order to increase their pay, and real estate agents and the KKK use tricks to try and fool people to do whatever they want. Can it be true that a persons name determines what social class they belong to? or what contributes ... Read More
Rating: 
- The only thing freaky is this book's reception
If you want to become really depressed about the state of intellectual life in America, then "Freakonomics" is the book for you.It was widely praised by sources ranging from the New York Times to the Weekly Standard, and anything that earns the support of both those publications should be highly suspect.In truth, "Freakonomics" is a mixture of two types of conclusions: the obvious and the obviously wrong.In that respect it mirrors other recent pop sociology efforts such as Predictably Irrational, but without ... Read More
- Switching mindGreat book that it helps to switch your minfd to see the life from a different perspective
- Interesting and fun!I purchased the audiobook to listen to on a road trip and found Freakonomics to be engaging and great for starting discussions! Time passed quickly while listening, and I was left wishing there was more when I got to the end. I gave four stars only because some of the book's main points are discussed in the lengthy introduction, and then again in the body of the book which is a little repetitive.
- Learn to Think Rather Than Be PersuadedI am not a conspiracy theorist, but I am critical of conventional wisdom. People who believe everything they hear are living in the dark and are at the mercy of media outlets or the closest busy-body. Much of our culture likes to believe things that are convenient. This can be seen in religion, politics, and even in someone's diet plan. The authors of Freakonomics do a wonderful job of analyzing the gullibility factor in our society. More importantly, they do a tremendous job of challenging the reader ... Read More
- Feakonomics ReviewWhat do a teacher and a sumo wretler have in common? How can a real estate agent possibly relate to the KKK? These are both are questions regarding how certain factors relate to one another in the real world. Who would have known that both sumo wresters and teachers cheat in a similar way in order to increase their pay, and real estate agents and the KKK use tricks to try and fool people to do whatever they want. Can it be true that a persons name determines what social class they belong to? or what contributes ... Read More
- The only thing freaky is this book's receptionIf you want to become really depressed about the state of intellectual life in America, then "Freakonomics" is the book for you.It was widely praised by sources ranging from the New York Times to the Weekly Standard, and anything that earns the support of both those publications should be highly suspect.In truth, "Freakonomics" is a mixture of two types of conclusions: the obvious and the obviously wrong.In that respect it mirrors other recent pop sociology efforts such as Predictably Irrational, but without ... Read More
