Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Which is scarier, a swimming pool or a gun? What is the connection between sumo wrestlers and educators? Why do drug traffickers have mothers as living quarters? How important are parents really? To what extent did Roe v. Wade influence violent crime? Literally, Freakonomics will change the way we think about the contemporary world.

These may not seem like the usual inquiries made by an economist. However, Steven D. Levitt isn't your average economist. He is a highly acclaimed academic who examines the mysteries and daily occurrences, such as cheating, crime, athletics, and childrearing, and whose findings often challenge accepted beliefs. Usually, he starts with an overwhelming amount of information and a straightforward query. While some of these queries are obviously bizarre, others deal with matters of life and death. Thus, freakonomics—the new area of research covered in this book—was born.

Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner demonstrate that economics is really the study of incentives—how individuals get what they want or need, particularly when other people have similar needs or wants—through compelling narrative and sardonic insight. They set out to investigate the dark side of, well, everything in Freakonomics. The internal dynamics of a violent group. The true deal about real estate brokers. Myths about campaign funding. The indicators of a dishonest instructor. The Klan's hidden agenda.

All of these tales are connected by the conviction that, in spite of an abundance of obfuscation, complexity, and outright deception, the contemporary world is not unknown, is not impenetrable, and, if the appropriate questions are asked, is much more fascinating than we realize. A fresh perspective is all that is required. Steven Levitt demonstrates how to cut through the clutter with cunningly astute and perceptive reasoning.

This novel idea is established by Freakonomics: if morality is the way we want the world to function, then economics is the way it really does. It's true that after reading this book, readers will have a thousand cocktail parties' worth of puzzles and tales to share. However, Freakonomics is capable of much more. It will really transform our perspective of the contemporary world.

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