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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 scholar who studies the stuff and 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 seethrough 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.
(front flap)
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Subjects
Economics, Economics -- Psychological aspects, Economics -- Sociological aspects, Finance, Nonfiction, Sociology, nyt:paperback_business_books=2012-02-25, New York Times bestseller, Popular Culture, business & economics, social science, economics theory, psychology, Socioeconomic Factors, data-mining, high-stakes tests, parenting, education, nominative determinism, collusion, Japan Sumo Association, real-estate agents, illegal drug trade, low earnings, crack cocaine, effect of legalized abortion on crime, incentives, cheating, teachers, sumo wrestlers, Sociological aspects, Economia (aspectos sociais), Business, Economia da informação, Psychological aspects of Economics, Économie politique, Aspect psychologique, Sociological aspects of Economics, Psychological aspects, Economia (aspectos psicológicos), Aspect sociologique, Aspectos sociales, Aspectos psicológicos, Economía, Reading Level-Grade 7, Reading Level-Grade 9, Reading Level-Grade 8, Reading Level-Grade 11, Reading Level-Grade 10, Reading Level-Grade 12, Economics, psychological aspects, Economics, sociological aspects, Humor, Large type books, Economics--psychological aspects, Economics--sociological aspects, Hb74.p8 l479 2005, Hb74 .p8 l666f 2005, 330, Hb74.p8 l479 2006People
Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner, Ku Klux Klan, Nicolae Ceauşescu, John Donohue, Stetson KennedyPlaces
Washington D.C., Romainia, Tokyo, ChicagoShowing 10 featured editions. View all 63 editions?
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01
Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
2007, William Morrow
Hardcover
in English
- Revised and Expanded Edition (12)
0061234001 9780061234002
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02
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
2007, William Morrow
Hardcover
in English
- Revised & Expand Edition (7)
0061234001 9780061234002
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03
Freakonomics
2007, W F Howes Ltd
Hardcover
in English
- Large print edition (1)
1846329116 9781846329111
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04
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
2006, William Morrow
Hardcover
in English
- 1st ed. (35)
006073132X 9780060731328
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05
Freakonomics
2006-10, HarperCollins e-books
Electronic resource
in English
- Revised and Expanded edition (1)
0061246638 9780061246630
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06
Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
2006, HarperTorch
in English
- Rev. and expanded ed.
0061242705 9780061242700
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07
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
January 10, 2006, HarperLargePrint
in English
006089637X 9780060896379
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08
Freakonomics: Un economista politicamente incorrecto explora el lado oculta de lo que nos afecta
2006-04, Ediciones B
Paperback
in Spanish
8466625127 9788466625128
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09
Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
2005, William Morrow, HarperCollinsPublishers r
in English
- 1st ed.
006073132X 9780060731328
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eeee
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10
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
2005, William Morrow
Hardcover
in English
- 1st edition
006073132X 9780060731328
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eeee
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Book Details
First Sentence
"Anyone living in the United States in the early 1990s and paying even a whisper of attention to the nightly news or a daily paper could be forgiven for having been scared out of his skin."
Table of Contents
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Classifications
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Work Description
A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
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 economist 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 the conventional wisdom on its head.
Freakonomics is a ground-breaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They usually begin 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 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 Ku 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 at things.
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. ButFreakonomics can provide more than that. It will literally redefine the way we view the modern world.
First published in the U.S. in 2005, Freakonomics went on to sell more than 4 million copies around the world, in 35 languages. It also inspired a follow-up book, SuperFreakonomics; a high-profile documentary film; a radio program, and an award-winning blog, which has been called “the most readable economics blog in the universe.”
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