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Armchair Economist: Economics And Everyday Experience
Witty economists are about as easy to find as anorexic mezzo-sopranos, natty mujahedeen, and cheerful Philadelphians. But Steven E. Landsburg...is one economist who fits the bill. In a wide-ranging, easily digested, unbelievably contrarian survey of everything from why popcorn at movie houses costs so much to why recycling may actually reduce the number of trees on th...more
Paperback, 251 pages
Published
November 1st 2007
by Free Press
(first published 1993)
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Abysmal, condescending, illogical and mean-spirited book on social economics. Absolutely no sources named for "statistics". The author seems to think that a significant number of people go to the movies solely to eat popcorn and that the benefits of recycling are outweighed by the fact that he doesn't feel like doing it.
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Recommended to my wife as Freakonomics’ better predecessor (Armchair Economist was originally published in 1993), Landsburg describes his work as “a chronicle of what [he] learned at lunch” (p. viii). Now, even granting the University of Rochester economics professor latitude befitting his choice of lunchtime companions, I was heartily disappointed to discover that the text indeed lives down to the author’s own humble description.
The tone is fine; Landsburg is chatty and informally fun...more
The tone is fine; Landsburg is chatty and informally fun...more
Most of the economics can be summarized in four words "People respond to Incentives".. This is how Landsburg commence this book which is full of bizarre riddles, solved by not so common economics principles.
The books take you on the journey where every chapter is like a riddle which compels you to think and exhaust your brain to the core. Landsburg basic premise is that "things and situations which look simple are actually much more complicated in reality."
However...more
The books take you on the journey where every chapter is like a riddle which compels you to think and exhaust your brain to the core. Landsburg basic premise is that "things and situations which look simple are actually much more complicated in reality."
However...more
I wasn't going to bother commenting on this book but in regard to some of the other comments I feel I must. Those that rated this book a 1 or 2 and then jumped into politically-motivated negative comments - shame on you. You are intellectually dishonest to yourselves and those that read these reviews. There is nothing in this book that pushes a political agenda unlike MOST of the more recent psuedo-economics books being published. What IS presented by Landsburg are sound, economic analysis and d...more
I have to give this book a three since I did learn something, although I really hold it in remarkable contempt. For the first time ever while reading an economics book, I felt like I understood the contempt held for the 'dismal science'.
I feel like delving into this a bit. The author makes a claim that taxes don't add value to a society, because what you take from Peter, you pay to Paul, and in a sense of absolute value, it is true. If I have a million millionaires, who each earn 10...more
I feel like delving into this a bit. The author makes a claim that taxes don't add value to a society, because what you take from Peter, you pay to Paul, and in a sense of absolute value, it is true. If I have a million millionaires, who each earn 10...more
It is a good book about how most people fail to apply basic economic principles in their lives. It's tone reminds me of the Black Swan, as author sounds condescending at times.
However, this seems appropriate given the general ignorance of basic economics demonstrated by media and by general public. No book is probably going to change this prevailing ignorance, but it is a worth pursuit.
Regardless, Landsburg presents an interesting material and a book was an enjoyable re...more
However, this seems appropriate given the general ignorance of basic economics demonstrated by media and by general public. No book is probably going to change this prevailing ignorance, but it is a worth pursuit.
Regardless, Landsburg presents an interesting material and a book was an enjoyable re...more
The Armchair Economist is - in my opinion - a must read for everyone who is evenslightly interested in how economists see the world, what reasons can be for the outrageous price at movies and other important questions.
Some people claim that the author has a rather condescending,even blood-boiling style, and well, sometimes you can say he has.
But all in all it shows you how the economical thought process handles problems, and some interesting facts.
A warning - the b...more
Some people claim that the author has a rather condescending,even blood-boiling style, and well, sometimes you can say he has.
But all in all it shows you how the economical thought process handles problems, and some interesting facts.
A warning - the b...more
Landsburg does everything in his power to justify the low opinion those untrained in economics have on the subject. He defends these ludicrous, over-the-top rational expectations/new classical/chicago hodgepodge and presents it as "the" economics. Simultaneously, his examples abound in pretty complicated concepts that require extensive explanation (for example, the Ricardian Equivalence, Arrow's Impossibility Theorem, and Coase's Theorem) yet he dedicates a page or so in passing to int...more
Good detail. Easy to understand. Very enlightening about some of the economics issues that you thought you understood. Even the news agencies, politicians, and others that should know about this stuff are getting it wrong. Great economy starter.
Good one. Not as thorough as he ought to be in his analysis of many issues. He seems to like being clever more than he likes being right. So he'll come up with a clever way to twist a topic without giving any more depth to the conversation and then moves on feeling smart. I'm left saying "...yeah, but what about..." over and over.
Unlike his latest (More Sex is Safer Sex), Armchair Economist logically develops many of his counterintuitive ideas. He also discusses the philosophy of economics throughout the book, but notably in the second section ("Good & Evil").
The Armchair Economist is a nice, easy read about some everyday questions that economics can shine an interesting light on. It stays a lot closer to traditional economics than Freakonomics, for example, but I still think it is pretty accessible.
I liked this book better than Fair Play, mainly because Landsburg admits that he doesn't have all the answers to the questions he brings up. Moreover, where he has an answer, he tends to refer to it as the best explanation he's come up with ...more
I liked this book better than Fair Play, mainly because Landsburg admits that he doesn't have all the answers to the questions he brings up. Moreover, where he has an answer, he tends to refer to it as the best explanation he's come up with ...more
If this book doesn't make you want to be an economist, nothing will. Much deeper and interesting than Freakonomics. My favorite chapter is on why popcorn costs so much in movie theaters.
I chose this book because Tim Harford cites some interesting parts of it in "The Undercover Economist." "The Armchair Economist" is generally pitched at a higher level, with Landsburg using core economic principles to argue some unconventional points. This was a little frustrating, since he assumes an above average grasp of economics, and he doesn't spend much time defending or explaining his key assumptions. Still, his tone is great, snarky and professorial, and his argument...more
A great, easy-to-read book about economic principles. I know this sounds impossible to write in the same sentence, but this book on economics is very fun to read!
An easy read for a book about economics. I didn't agree with all of the economic analysis, but it was a thought provoking book. Had to read it for econ 110 at BYU.
I gave it a 3 because the information is slightly dated! Talks about George Bush...but means the 1st one. It could be better if it were updated. :)
This guy is a moron. Get up out of your armchair and actually think and reason, don't spew opinions and claim them as rational thought/fact.
Through "Freakonomics" I found this book in Amazon and the review there make it look a very good book to add to my "To Read" list.
I read the chapter about popcorn, funny..
another book on everyday economics. fascinating.
Great book on Economics before Freakonomics.
Fun read on the economic principles of life
Contrarian and at times infuriating, this guy takes joy in explaining why car accident rates increased when seatbelts were made mandatory (hint: he thinks we can eliminate collisions by getting rid of seatbelts and putting a sharp spear in the middle of the steering wheel) and how the government might succeed in dealing with pollution.
This book actually does a really good job of introducing psychology of an economist, which can sound inhuman at times, but it makes me understand why a...more
This book actually does a really good job of introducing psychology of an economist, which can sound inhuman at times, but it makes me understand why a...more
i hate you so much steven e. landsburg
Warped libertarian fantasy.
Nice!
This was quite a unique read compared to Basic Economics by Sowell. I liked his use of metaphors, but he didn't really answer some of the most important questions. This book did make me realize how much of the world can be viewed from an economist's perspective.
High focus on "people respond to incentives" and economics is about all sides (no Right or Wrong). Ending was crazy as the author got onto a soapbox about how he was against Environmentalism.
High focus on "people respond to incentives" and economics is about all sides (no Right or Wrong). Ending was crazy as the author got onto a soapbox about how he was against Environmentalism.
This is by far the most entertaining book on economics that I have read. It takes great talent and wit to make a whole chapter dedicated to analyzing theatre popcorn prices interesting. It is a quick read and relatively easy to understand and follow. You can get a taste for what the book is like by reading the authors column at Slate.com.
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