Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner Summary and Reviews
![Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything](/images/Freakonomics-Revised-and-Expanded-A-Rogue-Economist-Explores-the-Hidden-Side-of-Everything-0061234001-L.jpg)
|
List Price: Our Price: $14.21 You Save: $13.74 (49%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $13.27 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Book Review: not really economics
Summary: 2 Stars
This is one of the more overrated books on economics out there, first and foremost because most of its content has little to do with economics. It should really just be called "what the statistics tell us". It really lacks any of the insights into behavior and outcomes that are found when one is really utilizing economic principles. In fact, its focus on statistics reinforces the wrong perception that economics is all about numbers and math - it's not. At it's core, it's about fundamental and basic principles of human psychology, behavior and the difference between intent and desire and result. Book Review: This book gets me thrown out of parties
Summary: 5 Stars
Freakonomics gets me thrown out of a lot of parties. Now that I know what really makes the world turn I cannot resist butting in on folk's conversations and putting them right.
`Zero tolerance', someone will say, `that's what cut crime in New York'.
`No it didn't', says I, `it was the 1973 legalisation of abortion that cut crime. Fewer young men means fewer young criminals.' A few dirty looks and off I go to another group.
`My estate agent is marvellous; she sold my house in no time. A little under my asking price but she got me the best deal she could'.
`No she didn't', I interrupt. `She sold your house below your asking price for a quick sale. She makes more money selling lots of houses cheaply than fewer houses for a fair price.' More unfriendly stares. Next group.
'Drug dealers are all rich, living off the backs of their victims.'
'Oh yeah? Says I,`Then how come most of them live with their moms?'
And so on until they show me the door.
Freakonomics has turned me into a know-all. It explains the real reasons things happen as opposed to the conventional thinking. Written in a style that tells you that you are among friends, Freakonomics leads you gently from a world of easy assumptions to a world of questioning. You will never be quite the same again.
My only bicker is that it is too short. Are they writing a Freakonomics II? I do hope so. Maybe they can explain why know-alls get thrown out of parties.
Casino - Heads we win tails you lose (Spawater Chronicles III) How casinos really work
Book Review: Really Interesting, Thought Provoking Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
I recieved a copy of this book at a recent conference I attended, and found it be a very enjoyable and easy read. The authors offer a non-traditional view on the world of economic theory, and do so without getting too bogged down with the heaviness of the subject matter. Some of the subject matter and related conclusions may be viewed as controversial to some, particularly the connection between Roe vs. Wade and the declining crime rate, but I actually found these connections to be the most interesting. The book really encourages the reader to think outside the box and look at the world differently. I highly recommend this book. Book Review: freakonomics economics
Summary: 3 Stars
Freakonomics was a great book that shares insight into how things that you would expect to not fit together, like schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers, actually have a lot in common. The book shows different correlations between unlikely things. It is a book on economics and shows the correlations in a easy way to understand and see how the world is changing.Book Review: Redundance
Summary: 3 Stars
Attempts to prove that socio-economic status is much more a hindrance to advancement than race.