Synopses & Reviews
More Than 4 Million Copies Sold Worldwide
Published in 35 Languages
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 &mdash how people get what they want or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing.
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“A showcase for Levitts intriguing explorations into a number of disparate topics…. Theres plenty of fun to be had.” Salon.com
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“An eye-opening, and most interesting, approach to the world.” Kirkus Reviews
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“One of the decades most intelligent and provocative books.” The Daily Standard
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“Provocative… eye-popping.” New York Times Book Review: Inside the List
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“Levitt is a number cruncher extraordinaire.” Philadelphia Daily News
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“Levitt is one of the most notorious economists of our age.” Financial Times
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“Steven Levitt has the most interesting mind in America... Prepare to be dazzled.” Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point
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“Levitt dissects complex real-world phenomena, e.g. baby-naming patterns and Sumo wrestling, with an economists laser.” San Diego Union-Tribune
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“Freakonomics is politically incorrect in the best, most essential way.... This is bracing fun of the highest order.” Kurt Andersen, host of public radio's Studio 360 and author of Turn of the Century
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“An unconventional economist defies conventional wisdom.” Associated Press
About the Author
Steven D. Levitt is a professor of economics at the University of Chicago and a recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded to the most influential economist under the age of forty. He is also founder of The Greatest Good, a company that applies Freakonomic principles to philanthropy and business.
Stephen J. Dubner, a former writer and editor at The New York Times Magazine, is the author of Turbulent Souls (Choosing My Religion), Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper, and the children's book The Boy with Two Belly Buttons.