Steven D. Levitt

Stephen J. Dubner

The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more. Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally—to think, that is, like a Freak. Levitt and Dubner offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms. As always, no topic is off-limits. They range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all with the goal of retraining your brain. Along the way, you’ll learn the secrets of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, and why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they’re from Nigeria. Some of the steps toward thinking like a Freak: First, put away your moral compass—because it’s hard to see a problem clearly if you’ve already decided what to do about it. Learn to say “I don’t know”—for until you can admit what you don’t yet know, it’s virtually impossible to learn what you need to. Think like a child—because you’ll come up with better ideas and ask better questions. Take a master class in incentives—because for better or worse, incentives rule our world. Learn to persuade people who don’t want to be persuaded—because being right is rarely enough to carry the day. Learn to appreciate the upside of quitting—because you can’t solve tomorrow’s problem if you aren’t willing to abandon today’s dud. Levitt and Dubner plainly see the world like no one else. Now you can too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealing—and so much fun to read.

The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain

Think Like a Freak

Assume nothing, question everything. This is the message at the heart of Freakonomics, Levitt and Dubner's rule-breaking, iconoclastic book about crack dealers, cheating teachers and bizarre baby names that turned everyone's view of the world upside-down and became an international multi-million-copy-selling phenomenon. 'Prepare to be dazzled' Malcolm Gladwell 'A sensation ... you'll be stimulated, provoked and entertained. Of how many books can that be said?' Sunday Telegraph 'Has you chuckling one minute and gasping in amazement the next' Wall Street Journal 'Dazzling ... a delight' Economist 'Made me laugh out loud' Scotland on Sunday

A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Freakonomics

Why don't flight attendants get tipped? If you were a terrorist, how would you attack? And why does KFC always run out of fried chicken? Over the past decade, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have published more than 8,000 blog posts on Freakonomics.com. Now the very best of this writing has been carefully curated into one volume, the perfect solution for the millions of readers who love all things Freakonomics. Discover why taller people tend to make more money; why it's so hard to predict the Kentucky Derby winner; and why it might be time for a sex tax (if not a fat tax). You'll also learn a great deal about Levitt and Dubner's own quirks and passions. Surprising and erudite, eloquent and witty, Freaks and Friends demonstrates the brilliance that has made their books an international sensation.

A Rogue Economist's Guide to the World

When to Rob a Bank

The son of Catholic converts from Judaism chronicles his own return to the Jewish faith after being raised as an altar boy and a devout Christian. Reprint.

A Catholic Son's Return To His Jewish Family

Turbulent Souls:

Steven Levitt, the original rogue economist, and Stephen Dubner have spent four years uncovering the hidden side of even more controversial subjects, from terrorism to shark attacks, cable TV to hurricanes. The result is Superfreakonomics. It reveals, among other things: - Why you are more likely to be killed walking drunk than driving drunk - How a prostitute is more likely to sleep with a policeman than be arrested by one - Why terrorists might be easier to track down than you would imagine - How a sex change could boost your salary Because sometimes the most superfreaky solution is the simplest.

Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance

Superfreakonomics

 Steven D. Levitt

أيهما أشد خطراً، المسدس أم حوض السباحة؟ ما هي الأشياء المشتركة بين معلمي المدارس ومصارعي السومو؟ لماذا ما يزال تجار المخدرات يعيشون مع أمهاتهم؟ ما هو مقدار اهتمام الوالدين حقاً؟ ما هو تأثير قضية «رو» و«ويد» في جرائم العنف؟ قد لا تبدو هذه الأسئلة مثل الأسئلة النمطية التي يسألها الاقتصادي، لكن ستيفن د. ليفيت ليس اقتصادياً نمطياً؛ إنه عالم شجاع أكثر من أي شيء آخر، يدرس المادة والأحاجي في الحياة اليومية ــ من الغش والجريمة إلى الرياضة وتربية الأطفال ــ وتقوم استنتاجاته عادة على قلب الحكمة التقليدية رأساً على عقب. وغالباً ما يبدأ بتل كبير من المعطيات وبسؤال بسيط لم يطرح من قبل. إنه يهتم ببعض هذه الأسئلة مثل قضايا الحياة والموت، وبعضها الآخر ذو ميزات استثنائية دون شك. وهكذا يحتوي هذا الكتاب على حقل جديد من الدراسة، وهو (الاقتصاد العجيب). ومن خلال سرده للقصص الآسرة ومن النظرة العميقة غير المباشرة، يبين ليفيت وزميله ستيفن ج. دوبنر أن الاقتصاد -في جذوره- دراسة للحوافز ـــ كيف يحصل الناس على ما يريدون أو يحتاجون، لاسيما عندما يريد الناس الآخرون الشيء ذاته أو يحتاجونه. في كتابهما (الاقتصاد العجيب)، يشرع المؤلفان في استكشاف الجانب الخفي ـــ من كل شيء؛ الأعمال الداخلية لعصابة مخدرات، وحقيقة الوسطاء العقاريين، وأساطير تمويل الحملات. وقصص الغش لدى معلمي المدارس. وأسرار جمعية كوكلوكس كلان (العرقية). ومن هنا فإذا كانت الأخلاق تمثل كيف نريد للعالم أن يسير، فإن الاقتصاد يمثل كيف يعمل العالم فعلاً. صحيح إن قراء هذا الكتاب سيتسلحون بقصص وأحاجٍ تكفي لتروى في آلاف الحفلات، لكن كتاب (الاقتصاد العجيب) يستطيع أن يقدم أكثر من ذلك، إنه يعيد تعريف الطريقة التي ننظر بها إلى العالم الحديث تعريفاً حرفياً. العبيكان للنشر

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

الاقتصاد العجيب: اقتصادي مارق يبحث في الجانب الخفي من كل شي

il calcolo dell'incalcolabile

AFONSO CELSO DA CUNHA SERRA

Baseado em pesquisas de Steven Levitt, 'Superfreakonomics' objetiva fazer com que os leitores reflitam sobre o modo de pensar diferentes questões, como - o que é mais perigoso - dirigir ou andar a pé bêbado?; por que os homens-bomba deveriam ter seguro de vida?; por que os indianos não usam camisinha?.

o lado oculto do dia a dia

The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics was a worldwide sensation. Now, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner return with SuperFreakonomics, and fans and newcomers alike will find that the "freakquel" is even bolder, funnier, and more surprising than the first. SuperFreakonomics challenges the way we think all over again, exploring the hidden side of everything with such questions as: How is a street prostitute like a department store Santa? Who adds more value: a pimp or a Realtor? What do hurricanes, heart attacks, and highway deaths have in common? Did TV cause a rise in crime? Can eating kangaroo meat save the planet? Whether investigating a solution to global warming or explaining why the price of oral sex has fallen so drastically, Levitt and Dubner show the world for what it really is—good, bad, ugly, and, in the final analysis, superfreaky.

Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance

SuperFreakonomics

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the landmark book Freakonomics comes this curated collection from the most readable economics blog in the universe. It’s the perfect solution for the millions of readers who love all things Freakonomics. Surprising and erudite, eloquent and witty, When to Rob a Bank demonstrates the brilliance that has made the Freakonomics guys an international sensation, with more than 7 million books sold in 40 languages, and 150 million downloads of their Freakonomics Radio podcast. When Freakonomics was first published, the authors started a blog—and they’ve kept it up. The writing is more casual, more personal, even more outlandish than in their books. In When to Rob a Bank, they ask a host of typically off-center questions: Why don’t flight attendants get tipped? If you were a terrorist, how would you attack? And why does KFC always run out of fried chicken? Over the past decade, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have published more than 8,000 blog posts on the Freakonomics website. Many of them, they freely admit, were rubbish. But now they’ve gone through and picked the best of the best. You’ll discover what people lie about, and why; the best way to cut gun deaths; why it might be time for a sex tax; and, yes, when to rob a bank. (Short answer: never; the ROI is terrible.) You’ll also learn a great deal about Levitt and Dubner’s own quirks and passions, from gambling and golf to backgammon and the abolition of the penny.

...And 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants

The author describes how he established his favorite sports star, football player Franco Harris, as a personal hero and father figure after losing his own father in adolescence, and recounts his personal journey as an adult to meet the man he idolized, in an exploration of the psychological factors of hero worship and fatherhood. Reader's Guide available. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.

Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper

Freaks and Friends

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? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime? These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask--but Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the stuff and riddles of everyday life--from cheating and crime to sports and child rearing--and his conclusions regularly turn the conventional wisdom on its head. The authors show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives--how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In this book, they set out to explore the hidden side of everything. If morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work.--From publisher description.

świat od podszewki

Freakonomia

Superfreakonomics—the smash hit follow-up to the remarkable New York Times bestselling phenomenon Freakonomics—is back in a new full-color, fully illustrated and expanded edition. The brainchild of rogue economist Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner that once again brilliantly challenges our view of the way the world really works is presented with a new, visual, superfreaky dimension added, enhancing the already provocative thinking about street prostitutes, hurricanes, heart attacks, and other seemingly mundane matters that made Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics part of the national zeitgeist.

SuperFreakonomics, Illustrated edition

Olivier Blanchard

Macroeconomics/ Freakonomics

Valuepack

Para celebrar el décimo aniversario de la publicación de Freakonomics, el libro que marcó un hito, aparece esta cuidada colección cuyo origen es el blog sobre economía más entretenido del universo. Con un estilo aún más personal e irreverente, Cuándo robar un banco plantea una serie de preguntas poco convencionales, como, por ejemplo: ¿Por qué no reciben propinas las azafatas?; si fueras un terrorista, ¿cómo atacarías? y ¿por qué KFC siempre se queda sin pollo frito? A lo largo de la última década, Steven D. Levitt y Stephen J. Dubner han publicado más de ocho mil entradas en su blog Freakonomics.com. No tienen inconveniente en reconocer que muchas de ellas eran auténticos disparates. Pero las han revisado y escogido las mejores. El lector descubrirá sobre qué miente la gente y por qué; la mejor manera de reducir la mortalidad por disparos de arma de fuego; por qué quizá haya llegado la hora de imponer un impuesto sobre el sexo y... sí: cuándo robar un banco (la respuesta es nunca, ya que el resultado, en relación con la inversión, es desastroso). También descubrirá un montón de cosas acerca de los propios caprichos y pasiones de Levitt y Dubner, que van de los juegos de azar y el golf al backgammon y la abolición de las monedas de un centavo de dólar. Sorprendente y erudito, elocuente e ingenioso, Cuándo robar un banco demuestra la genialidad que convirtió Freakonomics en un éxito internacional, con más de siete millones de ejemplares en cuarenta lenguas y ciento cincuenta millones de descargas del podcast de su Freakonomics Radio. Reseñas: «Un curso intensivo adictivo e irresistible sobre la implementación populista de la economía.» The A. V. Club «Una disparatada colección de análisis económicos que parece contraria al sentidocomún# Regocijante y entretenida.» Kirkus «Genial# el lector se quedará pasmado y boquiabierto.» The Wall Street Journal «Hoy todos somos freakonomistas.» The Washington Post «Una tarde dedicada a leer el libro de Levitt y Dubner convertirá al lector en la persona más interesante de la velada de esa noche.» National Public Radio, EE. UU. «Un libro estupendo, repleto de detalles históricos improbables pero fascinantes que diferencian a los autores de los habituales científicos pop.» The New York Times «Buenas ideas# expresadas con humor y lucidez.» Financial Times

Cuándo robar un banco

[un economista políticamente incorrecto explora el lado oculto de lo que nos afecta]

Los autores de Freakonomics te enseñan cómo ejercitar tu cerebro. Con Piensa como un freak, Steven D. Levitt y Stephen J. Dubner han escrito su libro más revolucionario hasta la fecha. Con el sello inconfundible de narración cautivadora y análisis no convencional, nos llevan al interior de su proceso reflexivo y nos enseñan a pensar de manera un poco más productiva, más creativa, más racional, es decir, a pensar como un freak. Como en sus libros anteriores, ningún tema está vedado, de los negocios a la filantropía, pasando por los deportes o la política, todo con el objetivo de reciclar tu cerebro. Algunos de los pasos para pensar como un freak: - Deja de lado tu brújula moral, porque es difícil ver un problema con claridad si ya has decidido qué hacer con él. - Piensa como un niño, porque se te ocurrirán mejores ideas y plantearás mejores preguntas. - Toma una clase magistral en incentivos, porque, para bien o para mal, los incentivos gobiernan el mundo. - Aprende a convencer a gente que no quiere ser convencida, porque ser bueno no basta para que uno se salga con la suya. - Aprende a apreciar las ventajas de abandonar, porque no puedes resolver el problema de mañana si no estás dispuesto a reconocer el fracaso de la calamidad de hoy. Está claro que Levitt y Dubner ven el mundo como nadie. Nunca antes unos pensadores tan iconoclastas han sido tan reveladores y tan divertidos de leer. Reseña: «Este libro cambiará tu vida.» Daily Express

Stephen J. Dubner

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