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complete bollocks, un-referenced 'studies' being used to back up their meandering and un thought out claims. should've been able to tell by the cover what type of 'book' this was.
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Freakonomics #1
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
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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--how people get what they want or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing.
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--how people get what they want or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing.
340 pages, Audio CD
First published April 12,2005
This edition
- Format
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340 pages, Audio CD
- Published
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October 17, 2006 by HarperAu
- ISBN
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9780061238536
- ASIN
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0061238538
- Language
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English
About the author
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Steven David Levitt is an American economist and co-author of the best-selling book Freakonomics and its sequels (along with Stephen J. Dubner). Levitt was the winner of the 2003 John Bates Clark Medal for his work in the field of crime, and is currently the William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago as well as the Faculty Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Radical Innovation for Social Change at the University of Chicago which incubates the Data Science for Everyone coalition. He was co-editor of the Journal of Political Economy published by the University of Chicago Press until December 2007. In 2009, Levitt co-founded TGG Group, a business and philanthropy consulting company. He was chosen as one of Time magazine's "100 People Who Shape Our World" in 2006. A 2011 survey of economics professors named Levitt their fourth favorite living economist under the age of 60, after Paul Krugman, N. Gregory Mankiw and Daron Acemoğlu.
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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
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
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A very interesting book. Looking at hidden sides of things, not accepting conventional wisdom and ideas to answer questions that are weird.
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A great book. You will love it if you like to question how and why things are what they are. How new names are being introduced to our newborns? How trends are being set? What is the relationship between teachers and sumo fighters? Why drug dealers (despite presumably being rich) still live with their moms? Why crimes get lowered?
If you like deep answers to great and silly questions like these, then you have to give it a go.
The authors emphasize on using "economics" tools to explore various fields in this world.
هذا الكتاب الجنوني تم بيع 4 مليون نسخة منه وتمّت ترجمته إلى 35 لغة. الكتاب لا يتحدّث عن موضوع واحد معيّن، ففي كل فصل يتحدّث عن موضوع آخر ولكن ما يجمعهم هو ان كل ما يفعله الفرد غالباً يكون لوجود باعث/حافز معيّن (قد يكون بارز أو غير بارز) ولكن في كل الحالات هناك حافز للأفعال والقرارات التي تصدر من البشر. أيضاً ما يميّز الكتاب الطريقة المثيرة للكاتبان في دراسة وتحليل معمّق بعض الأسئلة الغريبة المثيرة في هذا العالم. الكتاب سيثير كل من لديه حب للإستطلاع بشكل جنوني . يجمعون جبال من المعلومات الغير منسّقة و من ثم يسألون سؤال (قد يكون مضحك) ولكن لم يُسأل من قبل. إنها فعلاً لطريقة مثيرة.
في احد الفصول مثلاً، تطرّق الكاتبان لقضية تسمية المواليد الجدد وكيفية يتم اختيار المجتمع لتلك الأسماء. قاموا بدراسة كل التسميات منذ الستينات ومقارنتها بأسماء اليوم و رسم الاتجاه/الميل طوال فترة الدراسة. ثم درسوا إن كانت هناك علاقة بين الأسماء والمستوى الأكاديمي والمهني للفرد لاحقاً من باب هل الأسماء تلعب دور في التأثير على شخصيتنا ونجاحنا العلمي والعملي. وأيضاً قارنوا الفروقات في التسمية بين الأعراق المختلفة وذكر الملاحظات العجيبة الغريبة في طريقة التسمية عند الأعراق المختلفة.
في فصل آخر، يسئلون هذا السؤال المثير "هل هناك وجه شبه بين مصارعي السومو اليابانيين و المدرّسين؟" طبعاً هذا الفصل سيكون مثير جدّاً لأساتذتنا الأفاضل في المدارس والجامعات حيث يتطرّق لقضية كيف ولماذا قد يغش هؤلاء المصارعين والمدرّسين وكيفية اكتشاف ذلك الغش بطرق عجيبة غريبة قام بها الكاتبان! الكل يتحدّث عن غش الطلاّب ولكن الكتاب يجعل المسألة أكثر إثارة ويُثبت وجود غش بعض المدرّسين وخصوصاً في الدول التي تُكافأ المدرّس على مقدار تفّوق طلبته (كما هو الحال في الولايات المتّحدة).
وماذا عن متاجرين المخدّرات؟ (أعاذنا الله وإيّاكم منها)، لماذا هؤلاء المتاجرين في أمريكا (على الرغم من الفكرة السائدة انّهم يطلّعون ذهب) مازالوا يعيشون مع أمّهاتهم؟؟! هل هناك ثمّة عامل في المسألة لم نتوصّل إليه. الكتاب يجيب على ذلك بطريقة عجيبة حيث تسلّل احد طلاّب الجامعة آنذاك (حالياً بروفيسور علم اجتماع في جامعة كولومبيا) "سودير فينكاتيش" إلى احد العصابات وخاطر بحياته ولكنه نجا ودوّن كثير من الملاحظات وعمل دراسات أجابت الكثير من المسائل الغامضة في عالم العصابات والمخدرات.
لماذا الجرائم في نيويورك انخفضت دراماتيكياً وبشكل مفاجئ؟ أي أخطر حوض السباحة أم المسدّس؟ هل فعلاً تربية الآبائ تؤثّر في سلوك الأبناء؟ وغيرها من الأسئلة التي يجيب عليها الكاتبان ستيفين ليفيت (اقتصادي) و ستيفين دوبنر (صحفي).
If you like deep answers to great and silly questions like these, then you have to give it a go.
The authors emphasize on using "economics" tools to explore various fields in this world.
هذا الكتاب الجنوني تم بيع 4 مليون نسخة منه وتمّت ترجمته إلى 35 لغة. الكتاب لا يتحدّث عن موضوع واحد معيّن، ففي كل فصل يتحدّث عن موضوع آخر ولكن ما يجمعهم هو ان كل ما يفعله الفرد غالباً يكون لوجود باعث/حافز معيّن (قد يكون بارز أو غير بارز) ولكن في كل الحالات هناك حافز للأفعال والقرارات التي تصدر من البشر. أيضاً ما يميّز الكتاب الطريقة المثيرة للكاتبان في دراسة وتحليل معمّق بعض الأسئلة الغريبة المثيرة في هذا العالم. الكتاب سيثير كل من لديه حب للإستطلاع بشكل جنوني . يجمعون جبال من المعلومات الغير منسّقة و من ثم يسألون سؤال (قد يكون مضحك) ولكن لم يُسأل من قبل. إنها فعلاً لطريقة مثيرة.
في احد الفصول مثلاً، تطرّق الكاتبان لقضية تسمية المواليد الجدد وكيفية يتم اختيار المجتمع لتلك الأسماء. قاموا بدراسة كل التسميات منذ الستينات ومقارنتها بأسماء اليوم و رسم الاتجاه/الميل طوال فترة الدراسة. ثم درسوا إن كانت هناك علاقة بين الأسماء والمستوى الأكاديمي والمهني للفرد لاحقاً من باب هل الأسماء تلعب دور في التأثير على شخصيتنا ونجاحنا العلمي والعملي. وأيضاً قارنوا الفروقات في التسمية بين الأعراق المختلفة وذكر الملاحظات العجيبة الغريبة في طريقة التسمية عند الأعراق المختلفة.
في فصل آخر، يسئلون هذا السؤال المثير "هل هناك وجه شبه بين مصارعي السومو اليابانيين و المدرّسين؟" طبعاً هذا الفصل سيكون مثير جدّاً لأساتذتنا الأفاضل في المدارس والجامعات حيث يتطرّق لقضية كيف ولماذا قد يغش هؤلاء المصارعين والمدرّسين وكيفية اكتشاف ذلك الغش بطرق عجيبة غريبة قام بها الكاتبان! الكل يتحدّث عن غش الطلاّب ولكن الكتاب يجعل المسألة أكثر إثارة ويُثبت وجود غش بعض المدرّسين وخصوصاً في الدول التي تُكافأ المدرّس على مقدار تفّوق طلبته (كما هو الحال في الولايات المتّحدة).
وماذا عن متاجرين المخدّرات؟ (أعاذنا الله وإيّاكم منها)، لماذا هؤلاء المتاجرين في أمريكا (على الرغم من الفكرة السائدة انّهم يطلّعون ذهب) مازالوا يعيشون مع أمّهاتهم؟؟! هل هناك ثمّة عامل في المسألة لم نتوصّل إليه. الكتاب يجيب على ذلك بطريقة عجيبة حيث تسلّل احد طلاّب الجامعة آنذاك (حالياً بروفيسور علم اجتماع في جامعة كولومبيا) "سودير فينكاتيش" إلى احد العصابات وخاطر بحياته ولكنه نجا ودوّن كثير من الملاحظات وعمل دراسات أجابت الكثير من المسائل الغامضة في عالم العصابات والمخدرات.
لماذا الجرائم في نيويورك انخفضت دراماتيكياً وبشكل مفاجئ؟ أي أخطر حوض السباحة أم المسدّس؟ هل فعلاً تربية الآبائ تؤثّر في سلوك الأبناء؟ وغيرها من الأسئلة التي يجيب عليها الكاتبان ستيفين ليفيت (اقتصادي) و ستيفين دوبنر (صحفي).
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Learning should be this enjoyable more often!
FREAKONOMICS is a refreshing, thoroughly enjoyable, easy reading, fast paced, witty and cynical breath of fresh air! Levitt and Dubner offer up a series of pointed, thought provoking essays composed in jargon-free layman's language that are loosely connected through a theme revealed in the book's sub-title - the hidden side of everything!
Incentives, or disincentives and deterrents, are examined as to their effectiveness in achieving the outcomes anticipated by those people, corporations or government organizations who designed them. We quickly learn that when incentives are applied in the context of our own philosophies and objectives, the outcomes may not be precisely as might have been originally intended.
The power of information, disinformation, information symmetry or asymmetry, perceived or real, and information hoarding in the form of secrecy is looked at from the point of view of determining its effect on our reliance on and opinions of "experts" and on our own strength in the process of negotiation or development of a contract. The authors' use of the KKK, real estate agents and the Internet as enormously disparate examples of information hoarders or disseminators is, in a word, inspired and informative.
The rather contentious issues of abortion vis-à-vis US crime rates and the relationship between race, economic status, parenting and scholastic achievement are used to demonstrate the enormous pitfalls in distinguishing between causality relationships as opposed to simple correlation.
I believe my personal background in mathematics and physics has allowed me to appreciate the deeper meaning of these essays from a scientific point of view. But, I'm concerned that in doing this, I may give rise to the profoundly mistaken impression that FREAKONOMICS is some turgid economics exposition that's as dry as a Death Valley dust storm. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Read it! Enjoy it! Laugh at it and think about what you've just read. If you never again look at a social phenomenon and accept it at simple face value without a raised eyebrow and a little more questioning attitude, then I believe that Levitt and Dubner will have achieved their goal.
Paul Weiss
FREAKONOMICS is a refreshing, thoroughly enjoyable, easy reading, fast paced, witty and cynical breath of fresh air! Levitt and Dubner offer up a series of pointed, thought provoking essays composed in jargon-free layman's language that are loosely connected through a theme revealed in the book's sub-title - the hidden side of everything!
Incentives, or disincentives and deterrents, are examined as to their effectiveness in achieving the outcomes anticipated by those people, corporations or government organizations who designed them. We quickly learn that when incentives are applied in the context of our own philosophies and objectives, the outcomes may not be precisely as might have been originally intended.
The power of information, disinformation, information symmetry or asymmetry, perceived or real, and information hoarding in the form of secrecy is looked at from the point of view of determining its effect on our reliance on and opinions of "experts" and on our own strength in the process of negotiation or development of a contract. The authors' use of the KKK, real estate agents and the Internet as enormously disparate examples of information hoarders or disseminators is, in a word, inspired and informative.
The rather contentious issues of abortion vis-à-vis US crime rates and the relationship between race, economic status, parenting and scholastic achievement are used to demonstrate the enormous pitfalls in distinguishing between causality relationships as opposed to simple correlation.
I believe my personal background in mathematics and physics has allowed me to appreciate the deeper meaning of these essays from a scientific point of view. But, I'm concerned that in doing this, I may give rise to the profoundly mistaken impression that FREAKONOMICS is some turgid economics exposition that's as dry as a Death Valley dust storm. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Read it! Enjoy it! Laugh at it and think about what you've just read. If you never again look at a social phenomenon and accept it at simple face value without a raised eyebrow and a little more questioning attitude, then I believe that Levitt and Dubner will have achieved their goal.
Paul Weiss
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This is a very American book. Not just because all of the examples in it are set in the US, but also the hype about it is terribly American too. It has the tone of self congratulation that has sold a million self-help books. Which is a pity, as what it has to say is terribly interesting and amusing.
The stuff at the end about how the name you are born with affects your life is very interesting. Also the idea, that is clearly true, but I'd never thought of it before, that people give their daughters crazier names than their sons.
The point of this book is to say that sometimes there are very interesting correlations between things that seem quite disparate. The big one (and I haven't checked, but I assume this one didn't go down terribly well with the religious right in America) was the idea that the drop in violent crime in the US was due to the drop in violent criminals and this was due to there being less people brought up in abject poverty which is due to people being able to have access to abortion and not bringing unwanted children into the world.
The comparisons between drug dealers and McDonalds as a corporate structure is now received wisdom - Obama quotes this in his book.
Overall this is a great little read and quite fun - but really, I can't think of a single book that was improved by self-congratulation.
The stuff at the end about how the name you are born with affects your life is very interesting. Also the idea, that is clearly true, but I'd never thought of it before, that people give their daughters crazier names than their sons.
The point of this book is to say that sometimes there are very interesting correlations between things that seem quite disparate. The big one (and I haven't checked, but I assume this one didn't go down terribly well with the religious right in America) was the idea that the drop in violent crime in the US was due to the drop in violent criminals and this was due to there being less people brought up in abject poverty which is due to people being able to have access to abortion and not bringing unwanted children into the world.
The comparisons between drug dealers and McDonalds as a corporate structure is now received wisdom - Obama quotes this in his book.
Overall this is a great little read and quite fun - but really, I can't think of a single book that was improved by self-congratulation.
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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.)
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.)
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Interesting, random, unconventional findings! I think it would have been a bit better if the questions linked to a certain theme and he wrote several different books. It's similar to Malcolm Gladwell books.
Answer's questions like:
- 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 much does a child's name really matter?
Also information on:
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.
I found it interesting that when it really comes down to it; pretty much 80% of us would cheat/commit a crime if we knew that the odds were with us.
It's also interesting the fact of causality and correlations. What causes what? Maybe the cause is just an indication of something else.
Also he brought up it takes skill to ask odd, unconventional, yet logical questions.
James Altucher and Freakonomics co-author Stephen Dubner set up a daily podcast which has 177 Questions of the Day, which answers unconventional questions that is similar to the context of this book
Freakonomics Q of the Day link
Answer's questions like:
- 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 much does a child's name really matter?
Also information on:
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.
I found it interesting that when it really comes down to it; pretty much 80% of us would cheat/commit a crime if we knew that the odds were with us.
It's also interesting the fact of causality and correlations. What causes what? Maybe the cause is just an indication of something else.
Also he brought up it takes skill to ask odd, unconventional, yet logical questions.
James Altucher and Freakonomics co-author Stephen Dubner set up a daily podcast which has 177 Questions of the Day, which answers unconventional questions that is similar to the context of this book
Freakonomics Q of the Day link
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