Really closer to a 3 1/2. I found the essays interesting enough, but upon reflection they seemed to lose much of their initial punch. It's possible to nit-pick at most of the studies, but more importantly the author tends to equate correlation with cause a little too glibly I think. It was a very popular book, but aside from quite a few comments by the major review media about some of the articles, I don't suspect it really had much effect on thinking in the "social sciences". I could be wrong.


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4,5/5 ⭐

“The conventional wisdom is often wrong.”

As an economics student, this really helped me to open my mind to learn how to analyse everyday situations from a economic point of view. And it also showed me a new branch of economics that has become my favourite.

If you want to learn the basics on economics, this book is for you. Some people might find it a little bit basic, but I think it should be taken as an introduction to the topic. More than teaching you how economics work, which is no easy task, I believe its purpose is to try and show how for every situation you can find an economic assumption to back it up.

What should be also taken into account when reading this book is that to prove most of his theories Levitt relies on statistics, which are part of economics as a science but not pure economics itself. Basically, do not expect to become an expert on the subject after reading it.

Anyways, I found the book pretty entertaining and well written. Highly recommend it.

I read this book because it takes everyday things like crime, school, and parenting, gives them a fresh twist, and shares surprising truths with jokes and stories that make learning fun and simple!

Incentives Influence Behaviour:
People do things because they want to get something good or avoid something bad, even if it’s not what they would expect.

Don't Believe Everything You Hear:
Sometimes, what people think is true isn't. Numbers and facts can tell a different story.

Things Happen for Reasons:
Just because two things happen simultaneously doesn't mean one caused the other.

People Have Secrets:
Sometimes, people do things that seem strange or wrong for reasons we don't understand.

Rules Can Backfire:
Trying to fix a problem can sometimes make it worse.

Numbers Tell the Truth:
Looking at facts and data can help us understand the world better, even when it's surprising.

Overall, "Freakonomics" encourages readers to think critically and explore the hidden side of everyday life.

Fun and cerebral. Caveat: it does not actually explore the hidden side of *everything.*

For example, the mystery of dreams isn’t uncovered nor is the hidden side of the half-dozen incredibly attractive French actresses blessing film screens over the past few years (ces lèvres

Yeah, this isn't 'rogue economics'. This is sociology. It's not a new discipline. And this is really spurious sociology that wouldn't pass muster in academia, so Levitt published it for public consumption.

This Review ✍️ Blog

Verbose, repetitive, contradictory: a book of 200-pages that could be condensed to 3-5 pages.

Titles that vary from scintillating to insulting, yet are followed by a chapter that doesn't support the title bar.

Anecdotal stories, mistaken for data or hypothesis. Interpretations and hypotheses are drawn from data that could still be interpreted in multiple ways.

The book claims that it will link the unexpected, but frankly, links the obvious, with many "well duh" moments.

Needless generations of lists that help bulk out the book, but provide little further benefit for study.

Each chapter begins with unnecessary aggrandisement of the author for the statistician, that jars the flow of the book.

Overall, a good demonstration of why "social sciences" are in no way close to being "science", and instead should be termed social philosophy.

A fascinating book that taught me a lot of things about myself and other people that were distinctly uncomfortable. Herewith some of the tidbits I picked up.

* About 10% of the population are happy to commit some sort of fraud, even if it just consists of not paying for their lunchtime sandwiches.
* IQ is inherited not nurtured
* On the whole we don't like old people.
* Attractive men are rich, tall and have a full head of hair.
* Attractive women are pretty, blonde and not too successful.
* The introduction of legalized abortion can drop crime levels.
* Money spent on election campaigns is mostly money down the drain.
* Often what we say in public is not what we feel in private. (eg racist politicians are often condemned in public but voted for in the privacy of the voting booth.)

And the good news...

* You can vastly change your life for the better by getting online and doing your own research. Leaving it all to the experts - be they doctors, funeral directors or life insurance agents - is a mugs game.

I found this book hugely provocative, but also fascinating, and it has certainly broadened my outlook by a whole stack. I'm not convinced....but it's got me wondering about a lot of stuff. It was also written with humour. Chapter 3 for instance is titled Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with Their Moms?

Very highly recommended.

An engaging read but not necessarily the scintillating, mind-blowing experience it had been hyped as.

Levitt and Dubner present their arguments well and their style makes the at-times daunting subject matter easier to approach and thus easier to digest. I don't read much non-fiction (for example) and even less stuff about economics but I found this book quick to get through and I was able to take away their message without having to labor through it.

That said, a few points:

(1) They make some outrageous claims. To their credit, these claims appear to be backed up by the data. Their rhetoric is frequently hyperbolic though. At times it takes some patience to get the point of a given chapter. The arc tends to go like this: outrageous claim > brief discussion of that claim > discussion of parallel claim > presentation of data > analysis of data > tie them together > see if you can tear down the argument via convention wisdom > oops, conventional wisdom falls under scrutiny of the data. That said, the style makes it easy to break chapters up into small read-it-on-the-can chunks; if you read it that way, prepare to bite your tongue on any given objection until you have finished.

(2) In light of #1: Levitt keeps mentioning that he's not much of an economist and even poorer with his math. But there's a lot of math in here. (Presented in a friendly, non-mathematical sort of way, but math nonetheless.) So... Is he just putting us on? Or (as A. would say) is it that "stats" aren't "math"?

(3) Also in light of #1: I would like to have seen more of the data. We get a lot of "xx% decrease" and "such-and-such quadrupled" but the figures themselves are obfuscated. There is an extensive appendix of notes at the end of the book which references specific articles; I'm assuming the "hard numbers" are in those articles. But my own background (i.e., bio-psych research papers) biases me to expect a more explicit presentation of those data. So that was disappointing.

(4) Levitt & Dubner allege at the beginning of the book that there is no unifying theme. That's more/less crap. The unifying theme seems to be: here are some microeconomics, mostly having to do with crime and/or corruption (see also: crime).

(5) The "Revised & Expanded Edition" was touted to me as essential because of all the additional articles and re-published blog posts etc. that are now included in this binding. I was a bit under-whelmed by these. They were certainly interesting and they do help illuminate aspects of the text but I didn't necessarily believe that they were essential. (The revisions vis-à-vis Stetson Kennedy's KKK research however: very essential.)

I am indebted to airport bookstores. And I am thus indebted to such an extent, that I can confess to arriving early for any flight departing from an airport with a bookstore for the sole purpose of securing a few additional minutes to browse books. If it were not for the practicalities of travelling, I would probably have bought this book much sooner than I did for I had been securing extra minutes in airport bookstores just to read through another chapter long before I actually bought it.

You see, my travels are laden with a heavy debate: shall I pack my extra suitcase with books or groceries? I resolve this by alternating. For one trip to the Outside, a spare duffel bag will be dedicated to books and I will shun all opportunities to visit grocery stores just to preserve that determination. On the next visit, I will carry a spare cooler (rather than duffel bag) and splurge on leg of lamb and cheeses free of artificial coloring. The ultimate effect of this system, however, is a backlog in possessing the books I'd like to read.

Finally, however, the fates aligned. I was travelling to Iowa on what I expected to be a gloriously grocery-focused trip. But my cooler broke as I was carrying it to the truck that we would drive to our local airport. There wasn't time to fix it. I was sad, of course, as I had been anticipating all the pork I was going to return with from Iowa. But I consoled myself with all those Iowa cookbooks I could now carry, and resolved not to prolong any lamentations over the cooler. And, oh, did I find myself lugging around a heavy library - such hours did I spend in Powells (there was a 1 week layover in Oregon) and Iowa City's bookstores. The day before we left Iowa, Nate told me about how much he enjoyed this book. His description renewed my interest, and I committed myself to buying a copy before we left. But, alas, we ran out of time. We didn't make it to a bookstore. It was sadder than the last-minute loss of the cooler. So when we arrived in Chicago, and had a few minutes to wait for the connecting flight to Alaska, and our gate was right next to a book kiosk, and I was pretty sure there was just enough room in my carry-on to squeeze in one more book - it was this book that I grabbed.

I raced through it. Loving each chapter. I really can't recommend it enough. A fun read, for those who like to be entertained by books. Informative too, for those that like to read for knowledge, thought, and/or discourse. But what elevates it to favorite is that it alters perception and challenges assumptions. For what it's worth, I have no regrets that I carried this book rather than Iowa pork.....and I can think of no finer testament to a good book. Then again, most of my entertainment these days revolves around pickling turnips. So if turnips aren't your thing, feel free to take my recommendation with a grain of salt....but you should still read this book.

This book is little more than Stephen Dubner jerking off Steven Levitt, but that's not why it's a 1-star read. here's why:

"Women's rights advocates... have hyped the incidence of sexual assault, claiming that one in three American women will in her lifetime be a victim of rape or attempted rape. (The actual figure is more like one in eight-but the advocates know it would take a callous person to dispute their claim.)"

In the Notes for this chapter:

"The 2002 statistics from the National Crime Survey, which is designed to elicit honest responses, suggests that the lifetime risk of a woman's being the victim of unwanted sexual activity or attempted unwanted sexual activity is one in eight[.]"

Here, in a nutshell, is how the National Crime VICTIMIZATION Survey collects information on rape:

Every six months, they ask everyone over 12 in a bunch of houses questions like:

"41a.
(Other than any incidents already mentioned,) has anyone attacked or threatened you in any of these ways -
(e) Any rape, attempted rape or other type of sexual attack -"

Followed up later with:

"29c.
You mentioned rape. Do you mean forced or coerced sexual intercourse?"

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the flaws in the NCVS's methodology here. And to use it to glibly accuse "women's rights advocates" of somehow manipulating a kowtowed public is incredibly obnoxious. While I'd guess that Levitt might be right more often than wrong, it's not worth his smug, self-satisfied style. I recommend 'Bad Science' by Ben Goldacre. Similar schtick with substance instead of 'hype'.

مبدئيا هناك خدعة في عنوان الكتاب

فالكتاب ليس في الاقتصاد و لكن في علم الاجتماع و لأن المؤلف رجل إقتصاد و لأن الاقتصاد هو أحد فروع علم االإجتماع فقد استخدم ما تعلمه في تحليل بعض الظواهر الاجتماعية بأدوات إقتصادية.

مجموعة من المواضيع بعضها شيق جدا و بعضها ممل أو مغرق في المحلية لدرجة لا تجعلنا نتفاعل معه.

ما هي الأشياء المشتركة بين معلمى المدارس و مصارعى السومو

يبدو سؤالا ساذجا و لكن الإجابة سهلة.
هي أسئلة من نوعية ما وجه الشبه بين البطيخ و الموز و تأتى الإجابة بأن كل منهما لا يصلح كعصير برتقال.

إجابة السؤال اللوذعى هنا هي أن معلمى المدارس و مصارعى السومو كل منهما يغش في النتائج و ليس هذا هو المقصود بل المقصود هو أنه يمكن كشف هذا الغش بنفس الطريقة و هي طريقة حسابية إحصائية طورها المؤلف و طبقها على أمثلة بالكتاب.



من الحكايات الطريفة حكاية عن موظف كان يحضر معه خبز الإفطار و بعض الجبن ليفطر هو و زملاء العمل كل يوم و تطور الموضوع حتى صار يحضر معه الإفطار لكل الشركة ثم استقال و أصبح المسئول عن توريد الخبز لبعض كبرى الشركات حتى أنه كان يوزع حوالى ثمانية آلاف رغيف يوميا.
سؤال أخر لوذعى:

كيف تتشابه جمعية الكوكلوس كلان مع الوسطاء العقاريين

و لمن يعرف فإن جماعة الكوكلوس كلان هي جماعة إرهابية أمريكية نشأت بعد الإتحاد مباشرة و نشطت ضد الأقليات الإسبانية و السود و الكاثوليك و أي شخص غير أبيض أوروبى الأصل بروتستانتى محافظ و يحكى الكاتب عنها حكايات شيقة جدا جديرة بالقراءة.

المهم أن وجه الشبه بينهم و بين الوسطاء العقاريين هو استثمار الخوف لدى الخصم و استخدام معلومات لا تملكها لإجبارك على اتخاذ رد فعل في مصلحتهم و يدلل الك��تب على ذلك بعشرات الحكايات اللذيذة جدا.


سؤال أخر :

لماذا لا يزال تجار المخدرات يعيشون مع امهاتهم

n
برغم أن تجارة المخدرات تدر أموالا طائلة كما نرى في الروايات و الأفلام الا أن الأموال لا توزع على الجميع بعدالة كما يحدث في شركتك تماما. نعم فهى تجارة رأسمالية أيضا.



يأخذك الكاتب في جولة غريبة و مثيرة في عالم الجريمة و تجارة المخدرات مطبقا نظرياته العجيبة و احصائياته المثيرة ليدلل على أن صغار تجار المخدرات يتمنى أحدهم لو يعمل حارس أمن أو أي عمل أخر لو لم يطمع في الوصول لدور الزعيم و من ثم التنعم بالمزيد من الأموال حتى يقتل أو يقبض عليه.

جزء أخر عن علاقة الإجهاض بالجريمة قد لا يكون مقنعا في عالمنا العربى ثم جزء أخير عن العنصرية التي لا تزال بصماتها واضحة و أثارها تنعكس على الواقع الأمريكي حتى الأن.

الكتاب مفيد و جيد في معظم أجزائه و أرشحه للقراءة.