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Loading... The Undercover Economistby Tim Harford
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Good overview of economics, definitely opinionated guy, but well worth the read. Explains why trade tariffs are usually a bad idea, why buying products from 3rd world is OK and better for the world, and how to create incentives to solve problems. (  )addunn3 | Jul 6, 2009 |   Good way of introducing economics to the innocent. Very clear. Opens with a excellent discussion of the economcs of coffee bars. I found the account of pricing strategies particularly interesting : how Starbucks uses price of basic cup of coffee versus price of coffee with add-ons like flavours, to get customers to reveal their price sensitivity. (  )michael09 | Jan 1, 2009 | Tim Harford indeed explains why the rich are rich but I think his explanation of why you can never buy a decent used car holds more water than his first premise. Mr. Harford believes that truly unfettered free enterprise is self regulating and is the only way to ensure that things are bought and sold at their true value. His explanations become less and less convincing when he enters into the realm public policy on such things as health care. While he admits (and shows figures to prove) that the United States has the most expensive health care system in the world which, when compared to other system provides woeful coverage, he advances a plan of governemnt funded catastrophic care and individual private forced savings as an alternative. Certainly the recent vagaries of the stock market give many people pause to question whether government regulations should not play a role in national and international financial policies. Mr. Harford would seem to disagree. (  )maunder | Oct 27, 2008 | 1  On the whole a solid book, but Tim Harford’s chapters on micro-economic behavior and game theory are far stronger than the pro-trade arguments he makes in later chapters on improving the lot of poor people around the world. I generally tend to agree with a pro-trade stance, but straw man arguments and bait-and-switch explanations aren’t going to convince anyone except the already convinced. (Full review at my blog) ( )KingRat | Oct 23, 2008 | Brings economics back to the individual on the street, who, after all, is the point of departure in the first place. (  )frank_oconnor | Sep 13, 2008 | 0.058 seconds to build listing  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0195189779, Hardcover)An economist's version of The Way Things Work, this engaging volume is part field guide to economics and part expose of the economic principles lurking behind daily events, explaining everything from traffic jams to high coffee prices.The Undercover Economist is for anyone who's wondered why the gap between rich and poor nations is so great, or why they can't seem to find a decent second-hand car, or how to outwit Starbucks. This book offers the hidden story behind these and other questions, as economist Tim Harford ranges from Africa, Asia, Europe, and of course the United States to reveal how supermarkets, airlines, and coffee chains--to name just a few--are vacuuming money from our wallets. Harford punctures the myths surrounding some of today's biggest controversies, including the high cost of health-care; he reveals why certain environmental laws can put a smile on a landlord's face; and he explains why some industries can have high profits for innocent reasons, while in other industries something sinister is going on. Covering an array of economic concepts including scarce resources, market power, efficiency, price gouging, market failure, inside information, and game theory, Harford sheds light on how these forces shape our day-to-day lives, often without our knowing it. Showing us the world through the eyes of an economist, Tim Harford reveals that everyday events are intricate games of negotiations, contests of strength, and battles of wits. Written with a light touch and sly wit, The Undercover Economist turns "the dismal science" into a true delight. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:53 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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