Steven D. Levitt stormed onto the social science scene like a rock star
with his unconventional questioning and sometimes controversial
conclusions on certain matters. He has come to define the term “rogue
economist” and has made numbers sexy. At least that is the way his
co-author
Stephen J. Dubner wants us to see him. “
Freakonomics”
introduced Levitt to a far wider audience outside of the world of
academic papers by asking unusual questions about a vast array of
subjects in modern life. Each chapter is based on the academic work that
cemented Levitt’s reputation for good or ill. Levitt is presented as
being something of a mental enigma and I guess Dubner is his translator
to us mere mortals. This debut book looks at links between such
disparate subjects as cheating school teachers and rigged sumo matches.
He uncovers the reason why estate agents don’t have your best interests
at heart when it comes to selling property by tenuously linking this
truth to what led to the growth and decline of the
Ku Klux Klan. Along
the way, the certain myths about the drug industry are blown apart by
asking the question “Why do drug dealers live with their parents?”
