“A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.” That’s how Steven D. Levitt defines himself and his work. He’s one of the most famous economists in America and yet he admits knowing little or nothing about micro and macro economics, political economics, econometrics and all the other typical branches of the subject. What he’s good at and what he likes to do is asking any sort of interesting questions and using the best tools economics provide in order to find good answers to those questions.
Examples: 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? The answers are often surprisingly counter intuitive, though backed up by solid facts and data.
Levitt has been doing this kind of research all his academic life and yet, when asked to write a book about it, he had doubts, he didn’t feel like writing it by himself. Then he met Steven J. Dubner, a journalist who was writing a profile on Levitt for The New York Times Magazine. They liked each other and decided that they would co-author the book.
One of those interesting reads that might redefine one’s own worldview.
No comments:
Post a Comment