Freakonomics

Got to know this from the 2020 show on ABC a long time ago, but never got around to finish it until now. Interesting finding from data, but reading it with detail explanation about the process of thinking is another story. It’s fascinating to read about other people’s approach to a seemingly impossible problem.

There are few main principles implies in all of their results:
-People all have incentive to do anything.
-Convetional wisdom is often wrong.
-By asking the right questions, you can make the complicated world seems much less so.
-The rest I can’t remember since I’m too cheap to buy the book (borrow it from the local library).

One of the more interesting finding I found: “People tend to be more honest in a small group with the fear of getting caught/ fear of being exposed.“ His analysis seem to gear toward human with incentive driving behaviors. Interesting how some incentive meant to prevent cheating/tardiness can backfire and allow people to quantify their action into money.

An easy and interesting read, recommend for all, especially future economist like Ms. Nghi Truong.

There’re more than enough stuffs avaible to take a look and see if you like it or not. E.g.: Wikipedia, and Freakonomics homepage. And here’s some catchy chapters’ title, hope some get your attention:

Chapter 1: What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?

In which we explore the beauty of incentives, as well as their dark side-cheating. Could sumo wrestling, the national sport of Japan, be corrupt?

Chapter 3: Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with Their Moms?

In which the conventional wisdom is often found to be a web of fabrication, self-interest, and convenience. Why prostitutes earn more than architects?

Chapter 4: Where Have All the Criminals Gone?

In which the facts of crime are sorted out from the fictions.

Chapter 5: What Makes a Perfect Parent?

In which we ask, from a variety of angles, a pressing question: do parents really matter? Eight things that make a child do better in school and eight that don’t.

Oh, if you can, get the revised and expanded version (almost the same picture though) which has some corrections and a collection of NewYorkTime’s columns and excerpts from the Freakonomics’ blog.

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