by
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
05/08/2006
focuses his attention on more intimate
real-world issues, like whether reading to
your baby will make her a better student.
Recognition by fellow economists as one of
the best young minds in his field led to a
profile in the New York Times, written by
Dubner, and that original article serves as
a broad outline for an expanded look at
Levitt's search for the hidden incentives
behind all sorts of behavior. There isn't
really a grand theory of everything here,
except perhaps the suggestion that
self-styled experts have a vested interest
in promoting conventional wisdom even when
it's wrong. Instead, Dubner and Levitt
deconstruct everything from the
organizational structure of drug-dealing
gangs to baby-naming patterns. While some
chapters might seem frivolous, others touch
on more serious issues, including a detailed
look at Levitt's controversial linkage
between the legalization of abortion and a
reduced crime rate two decades later.
Underlying all these research subjects is a
belief that complex phenomena can be
understood if we find the right perspective.
Levitt has a knack for making that principle
relevant to our daily lives, which could
make this book a hit. Malcolm Gladwell
blurbs that Levitt "has the most
interesting mind in America," an
invitation Gladwell's own substantial fan
base will find hard to resist. 50-city radio
campaign. (May 1)
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