Books : Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Rating: - Really Interesting, Thought Provoking Book!
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.

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Rating: - freakonomics economics
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.

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Rating: - Redundance
Attempts to prove that socio-economic status is much more a hindrance to advancement than race.

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Rating: - Too much analysis....little common sense
A strange connection is made between a drop in violent criminals and the Roe v. Wade decision. It suggests these "criminals" were never born into the poverty that would have made them criminals in the first place.

This doesn't take into account 2 things:

1. The counter effect that could have been made by those born into abundance, had they not been aborted. Poor people (and who defines that anyway) are not the only ones who abort babies.

Who lives in "poverty", by itself, is a whole different mindset that can't be measured. I would go so far as to say that the majority (not all) of those living in so called "poverty" have a television, a DVD player and a microwave, sleep in a bed, use indoor plumbing, eat 3 meals a day, wear shoes, have access to some form of transportation and have a roof over their head.

This made them a criminal????

2. It assumes that the vast majority of invidiuals born into poverty would be destined to stay that way rather than make their own decisions to prosper.

It's cause/effect implication just can't be proven; conditions can only be observed, but there is no scientific way to attribute a definite cause. It's simply a poor comparision.

Then again, economics isn't exactly a science.

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Rating: - Freaky.
The book Freakonomics: A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner skillfully interweaves economic analysis and everyday occurrences to make an interesting and enjoyable book. The authors set out to prove to the world that economics has to do with much more than just finance, and that statistics actually mean something in our lives. Along with economics, Freakonomics also touches on sociology as it explains how incentives drive human behavior. Levitt, an economist, shows the reader that economics relates to the real world by including a number of interesting examples in his book. Economics helps to answer the questions society faces today and explains why things work out the way that they do. The book aims to abolish common misperceptions about the world and to challenge the conventional thinking that is widely used (or misused) today.
The authors seem to complement each other perfectly. Steven Levitt is an Alvin H. Baum Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. He earned his B.A. from Harvard and PhD from M.I.T. In 2004, he won the John Bates Clark Medal, which is an award that recognizes the most influential economist in America under forty years of age. He was recently featured in Time magazine's "100 People Who Shape our World." Stephen J. Dubner is an award winning author and journalist. He taught English at Columbia University. His journalism appears mostly in "The New York Times" and "The New Yorker." These two combine forces to create a compelling economics book. (There's an oxymoron.)
The authors ultimately reach the reading audience because of the subjects that they focus their research on. There does not seem to be any unifying theme to the examples, except that they teach readers that familiar things are not always what they seem to be, and that open-minded thinking can lead to fascinating conclusions. The topics of the chapters range from real estate agents to sumo wrestlers to drug dealers. Levitt explains to readers how teachers cheat on standardized testing, how the secrets codes of the Klu Klux Klan were revealed, and how the drop in crime rates and the legalization of abortion are related. Levitt's conclusions can be considered astonishing, shocking even, but whether or not the reader agrees with them does not seem to be the point. The way Levitt's mind works is truly extraordinary. That is not to say the book is without flaws. It seems to be stuck in an awkward spot as it tries to balance reader appeal and an understanding of economics. Economists will argue that some of the methods used in the book are not really using economic analysis. They say that the book only lays down the very basics of economics, and that it needs to be longer and more in-depth to provide a truly comprehensive understanding of the subject. On the other side, readers will find their interest dwindling when reading pages and pages of statistics and economical details. Ultimately though, the book is well written in straightforward, clear, language and it manages to add some sparkle to economics and analysis in everyday life. When picking up this book, the reader will find an engaging and thought-provoking venture into the freakier side of economics.