Recommended: The Why Axis

The field of economics has been dominated for decades by academic theorists pumping out clever equations to explain economic activity and shape public policy. Gneezy and List represent a new, and probably much more promising approach – going out and doing real-world experiments to see how people actually behave, as opposed to how some theorist in an office thinks they behave. Ever wonder just why people are prejudiced – is it really animus or just economic self-interest?  Ever wonder what really would motivate ghetto kids to apply themselves in school? Ever wonder how to get people to give more generously to charitable causes? This book begins to give the answers, based on real data, not abstract theory.  This is a great book, and a welcome breath of fresh (data-driven) air in a field too often informed by ideology rather than reality.

Reminder: A full list of my recommended books, with their ISBN numbers, can be found in the book list on the sidebar to the right of this posting.