The Hidden and True Side of Social Issues: Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

Book Review
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Published in 2005 by William Morrow

A friend recommended this book and it's a great read. Economists Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner dig deep inside common social problems and phenomena, and put statistical economics to work to find out their real causes that often counter public perception and so-called experts. Levitt and Dubner write:

'Incentives are the cornerstone of modern life. And understanding them—or, often, ferreting them out—is the key to solving just about any riddle, from violent crime to sports cheating to online dating...

The conventional wisdom is often wrong. Crime didn’t keep soaring in the 1990s, money alone doesn’t win elections, and—surprise—drinking eight glasses of water a day has never actually been shown to do a thing for your health. Conventional wisdom is often shoddily formed and devilishly difficult to see through, but it can be done...

“Experts”—from criminologists to real-estate agents—use their informational advantage to serve their own agenda. However, they can be beat at their own game. And in the face of the Internet, their informational advantage is shrinking every day—as evidenced by, among other things, the falling price of coffins and life-insurance premiums.'

For example, Levitt looks at why crime decreased so much in the 1990s in New York City. According to the city's former mayor Rudolph Guliani and residents it was new and innovative police work. According to Levitt and Dubner, and you'd be hard pressed not to agree with the authors based on their evidence, the major (but not only) cause was Roe vs. Wade!

Other issues the authors explore include, among others: drug dealing, and why so many of them live with their moms; why real-estate agents and teachers cheat; and whether parenting really matters.

It is the authors' in-depth research, analysis, and startling conclusions of these interesting topics that make this books a worthwile read. As the authors state, the truth is not always what it seems!