"Incentives matters," says Stephen Dubner

|Peter Boettke|

In a recent interview Stephen Dubner is asked what message from the Freakonomics books does he hope readers walk away with, and he argued: "That incentives matter. And that cheap and simple fixes are vastly underappreciated."

He was also asked what books he would recommend to readers to learn the power of economic reasoning and he listed Tim Harford, Gary Becker, Robert Frank, Steven Landsburg, and the Marginal Revolution blog, and younger writers like Peter Leeson.  

Comments

[Mykirznernumberisfour]

I enjoyed Freakonomics, but to me the Super version seems like a re-write of Harford's and Becker's stuff. I think it is less engaging and less interesting than both - although it does have good moments.

Perhaps it is like a difficult second album.

[Jasper]

I've given multiple people copies of Tim Harford's The Undercover Economist as gifts. I find its the type of book that gives you little insights into everyday life. Great book to get people thinking about economics, easy and interesting read.

[Mario Rizzo]

Henry Hazlitt, Economics in One Lesson. I read this book in high school because I was "lazy" and wanted to learn economics quickly. It changed my life.

[Lee Kelly]

Thomas Sowell's "Basic Economics" was the first book about economics that I read. I learned a great deal from that book in a very short amount of time; it is no nonsense and excellently written.

[Mario Rizzo]

It occurred to me: What has happened so that "incentives matter" is informative?

[Chris Lemens]

I'd show this beer ad to a high school econ class to drive in the point that incentivs matter:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1125919467?bctid=63259762001

Chris Lemens

[Mario Rizzo]

The ad is quite good.