In Wednesday’s WSJ, “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economists Explains the Hidden Side of Everything” was reviewed. The book was written by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.
I’ve never forgotten Dubner’s August 2003 profile of Levitt for the NY Times and his unorthodox exploration of topics such as falling crime rates in the 1990s and inflating of standardized test scores by Chicago teachers and other issues. I wanted to read more about his economic findings after reading the profile. Until now, Levitt’s work has been primarily in academic journals. Now it’s as handy as a bookstore.
The review was by Steven E. Landsburg, an economist and author of “Armchair Economist: Economics and Everyday Experience.” I want to read that book too, though it will have to wait. “Freakonomics has had good reviews by others too.
There’s also a blog by the authors.