About the Author

Steven D. Levitt, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal, given to the most influential American economist under forty. He is also a founder of The Greatest Good, which applies Freakonomics-style thinking to business and philanthropy.

Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning journalist and radio and TV personality, has worked for the New York Times and published three non-Freakonomics books. He is the host of Freakonomics Radio and Tell Me Something I Don't Know.

Stephen J. Dubner is an award-winning author, journalist, and radio and TV personality. He quit his first career--as an almost rock star--to become a writer. He has since taught English at Columbia, worked for The New York Times, and published three non-Freakonomics books.

Reviews

"A showcase for Levitt's intriguing explorations into a number of disparate topics.... There's plenty of fun to be had."--Salon.com

"An easy, funny read. Many unsolvable problems the Americans have could be solved with simple means."--Business World

"An eye-opening, and most interesting, approach to the world."--Kirkus Reviews

"An unconventional economist defies conventional wisdom."--Associated Press

"Economics is not widely considered to be one of the sexier sciences.... Steven D. Levitt will change some minds."--Amazon.com

"Freakonomics challenges conventional wisdom and makes for fun reading."--Book Sense Picks and Notables

"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

"Freakonomics was the 'It' book of 2005."--Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Hard to resist."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"If Indiana Jones were an economist, he'd be Steven Levitt... Criticizing Freakonomics would be like criticizing a hot fudge sundae."--Wall Street Journal

"Levitt dissects complex real-world phenomena, e.g. baby-naming patterns and Sumo wrestling, with an economist's laser."--San Diego Union-Tribune

"Levitt is a number cruncher extraordinaire."--Philadelphia Daily News

"Levitt is one of the most notorious economists of our age."--Financial Times

"One of the decade's most intelligent and provocative books."--The Daily Standard

"Principles of economics are used to examine daily life in this fun read."--People: Great Reads

"Provocative... eye-popping."--New York Times Book Review: Inside the List

"Steven Levitt has the most interesting mind in America... Prepare to be dazzled."--Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point

"The funkiest study of statistical mechanics ever by a world-renowned economist... Eye-opening and sometimes eye-popping"--Entertainment Weekly

"The guy is interesting!"--Washington Post Book World

"The trivia alone is worth the cover price."--New York Times Book Review

Forget your image of an economist as a crusty professor worried about fluctuating interest rates: Levitt focuses his attention on more intimate real-world issues, like whether reading to your baby will make her a better student. Recognition by fellow economists as one of the best young minds in his field led to a profile in the New York Times, written by Dubner, and that original article serves as a broad outline for an expanded look at Levitt's search for the hidden incentives behind all sorts of behavior. There isn't really a grand theory of everything here, except perhaps the suggestion that self-styled experts have a vested interest in promoting conventional wisdom even when it's wrong. Instead, Dubner and Levitt deconstruct everything from the organizational structure of drug-dealing gangs to baby-naming patterns. While some chapters might seem frivolous, others touch on more serious issues, including a detailed look at Levitt's controversial linkage between the legalization of abortion and a reduced crime rate two decades later. Underlying all these research subjects is a belief that complex phenomena can be understood if we find the right perspective. Levitt has a knack for making that principle relevant to our daily lives, which could make this book a hit. Malcolm Gladwell blurbs that Levitt has the most interesting mind in America, an invitation Gladwell's own substantial fan base will find hard to resist. 50-city radio campaign. (May 1) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

"A showcase for Levitt's intriguing explorations into a number of disparate topics.... There's plenty of fun to be had."--Salon.com
"An easy, funny read. Many unsolvable problems the Americans have could be solved with simple means."--Business World
"An eye-opening, and most interesting, approach to the world."--Kirkus Reviews
"An unconventional economist defies conventional wisdom."--Associated Press
"Economics is not widely considered to be one of the sexier sciences.... Steven D. Levitt will change some minds."--Amazon.com
"Freakonomics challenges conventional wisdom and makes for fun reading."--Book Sense Picks and Notables
"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
"Freakonomics was the 'It' book of 2005."--Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Hard to resist."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"If Indiana Jones were an economist, he'd be Steven Levitt... Criticizing Freakonomics would be like criticizing a hot fudge sundae."--Wall Street Journal
"Levitt dissects complex real-world phenomena, e.g. baby-naming patterns and Sumo wrestling, with an economist's laser."--San Diego Union-Tribune
"Levitt is a number cruncher extraordinaire."--Philadelphia Daily News
"Levitt is one of the most notorious economists of our age."--Financial Times
"One of the decade's most intelligent and provocative books."--The Daily Standard
"Principles of economics are used to examine daily life in this fun read."--People: Great Reads
"Provocative... eye-popping."--New York Times Book Review: Inside the List
"Steven Levitt has the most interesting mind in America... Prepare to be dazzled."--Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point
"The funkiest study of statistical mechanics ever by a world-renowned economist... Eye-opening and sometimes eye-popping"--Entertainment Weekly
"The guy is interesting!"--Washington Post Book World
"The trivia alone is worth the cover price."--New York Times Book Review