Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner Date: 12 April, 2005   —   $17.13   —   Book product page Rating:

Well, Freakonomics is definitely an interesting book. Not so much for what's in it, as for the approach Levitt takes on social issues. Levitt explores poverty, race, crime, and even abortion from the standpoint of numbers. This allows him to barrel through emotionally and politically charged minefields without getting shredded. Levitt says, here's the data and this is what it tells us. Make of it what you will.

That approach allows Levitt to conclude that abortion decreases crime without facing a Christian fundamentalist fatwa ordering his death; it allows him to tackle black poverty and low educational scores without being labeled a racist; and it keeps the Yakuza from putting him on a hit list when he blows the lid off rampant cheating in Sumo wrestling. Like Sgt. Joe Friday, Levitt presents "just the facts, Ma'am," leaving it up to the police, the politicians, the social workers, and the voters to make the judgments.

Probably the most incendiary section of the book deals with abortion. According to data, abortion is primarily responsible for the dramatic decrease in crime since the early 1990's. It turns out that the women most likely to have an abortion are also those most likely to breed criminals. No criminals; No crime. Levitt doesn't advocate abortion or euthanasia, he just presents the facts.

Another interesting point is that low test scores among blacks is directly related to bad schools. Run down schools in dangerous neighborhoods with high numbers of crack dealers, gang members, and other non-students don't contribute to a good educational experience. It turns out that whites who attend these schools do just as poorly.

I was checking around the Internet, though, and it looks like new data has diluted this conclusion a bit. Bad schools remain a culprit, but not the major culprit. Levitt (and co-researcher Roland Fryer) are back to the drawing board on this one. It's a good example of how important it is to keep re-evaluating conclusions based on new data and changing circumstances. The world does not stand still, neither should our thinking.

But the best section, in my opinion, is on child rearing. As a parent, I always want the best for my boy: the extra-safe car seat, educational toys, books, and videos, a good pre-school, etc. Levitt shows that, statistically, everything you can do to insure your kid's success, you've already done before you even had the kid.

While there are plenty of ways parents can screw up, there's nothing you can do to make your kid better than he statistically would have turned out anyhow. No matter how many books you buy, no matter how much classical music you make him listen to, the important thing is to be well off financially, socially, and intellectually before you have the baby. Thanks, Mr. Levitt. Anybody want a large collection of Baby Mozart tapes?