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Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.) |  | Authors: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $15.99
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Rating:  1796 reviews
Sales Rank: 142
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1 Original
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0060731338
Dewey Decimal Number: 330
EAN: 9780060731335
ASIN: 0060731338
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
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? 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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1796
 Humorous, Insightful, and Informative September 5, 2010
Juice
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Quite simply, this would definitely be one of the best books you would ever read. You would really appreciate the way in which Levitt and Dubner pines over and analyses data gathered on some interesting issues. It is refreshing, insightful, definitely funny, and provides a different, yet welcome and informed view. I'd have to say, that it is great seeing others think outside of the box, and being able to so well, articulate that thinking.
i like it August 30, 2010
Gerald Schutz (Philippines)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
i like this book. it inspired me to take up Economics in college. a recommended read for my fellow students in schools and universities. if you haven't had a close idea what economics is or if you have something in mind about it, this is a great book for you.
The hidden side of everything (besides the free market) August 25, 2010
William Hayes (Washington, DC)
Although the main topic of Freakonomics is the economy I feel the most valuable lessons can be found in the presentation of the book. I will admit I was skeptical about the book when I began. I consider myself a fair person and prefer to look at both sides of every argument. Although I did find most of the examples in this work conspiracy based, the way in which they were presented was very believable. Levitt did a great job in presenting information to drive home his hypothesis. Although the hypotheses was often far fetched, he did stand his ground and gave relatable examples. The fact of the matter is that nobody really knows how the economy works. Conservative or liberal, if we really know how the economy worked we would be able to control it. And looking at the last few years and events throughout history we clearly can not. This is a great read if your looking for another point of view, or a fresh look at the "hidden side of everything"
Just the facts! August 25, 2010
Pam Hilts (Longview, Wa USA)
An amazing analysis of circumstances that could never be matched in a laboratory. The author uses real-world happenings to explain the cause and effect of different variables. The author keeps a cool, clear head and examines issues that are not always politically correct. There are no biases, only the facts. A facinating read, especially for those that appreciate critical thinking!
 trendy and shallow August 22, 2010
TCO (USA)
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
Freakonomics is a book on popular social statistics research. Michael Levitt is an economist by training, but the subjects of his research and this book are much more sociology or even market research (that said, a lot of ongoing sociology and market research is much more substantial than this book.)
The book seems to have been bought by an incredible amount of people that did so to seem smart (the cover and title are much more the sell than the content). Now they can think they are sharp, I guess.
The book seems like a collection of articles or really an overgrown article itself (Dubner had already written a long one praising Levitt). There are good books of essays (Feymnan, C.S. Lewis), but this is not one. In all likelihood, if the writers had pushed themselves for a theme, they would have ended up constructing more interesting insights.
Basically, the book is intellectually lazy. It lacks footnotes. Methodology is not even described in summary.
The one "blockbuster" topic (the assertion that crime dropped because of abortion) lacks convincing proof. In general, social and historical effects can have many confounding factors and causes and this is why history is so amathematical and story-like (and arguable). But the authors seems naively confident that they can ascribe social effects to something happening in a general society with a 20 year lag.
The other short topics are often about cheating and statistics to show it and are much stronger in terms of very high statistical significance, immediate cauase and effect, lack of confounding factors, etc. However, they are pretty trivial. And even here, there is no good synthesis of the insights, no connection to literature, to other studies, etc. To put it all in a context. I'm not sure if it is braggadicio or ignorance that leads the authors to act as if these "aha"s are so new.
Actually there is a lot in the book that reminds of the typical business book...in the triumphalism of "newness", in the breathy assertion vice support of arguments, the glorification of a (pretty shallow) appearance of neoliberal "smartness" as opposed to actual hard thinking and learning and growing. The sad thing is there is so much interesting to learn in the world. And so much that can be done by good non-fiction books to popularize learning.
But Freakonomics is not a good non-fiction book. I forced myself to finish it, just to write this review. And as I persevered, nothing changed to make me appreciate it more. Maybe the dolts buying it for the cover and to mention at parties were brighter than I.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1796
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