Dear Undercover Economist: Priceless Advice on Money, Work, Sex, Kids, and Life's Other Challenges

Dear Undercover Economist: Priceless Advice on Money, Work, Sex, Kids, and Life's Other Challenges

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3.5 of 5 stars 3.50  ·  rating details  ·  308 ratings  ·  48 reviews
Throughout history, great philosophers have been answering profound questions about life. But do they know why your socks keep disappearing from the dryer, or how to choose the quickest line at the supermarket? Probably not, but Tim Harford does. . . .

In Dear Undercover Economist
, the first collection of his wildly popular Financial Times columns, Tim Harford offers witty,...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published August 25th 2009 by Random House Trade Paperbacks
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Septri Lediana
Bagi para penggumul ilmu ekonomi orang-orang biasa merupakan orang-orang istimewa. Semua hal yang disajikan para pelaku ekonomi dengan berbagai trik sistem ekonomi dan melibatkan orang biasa disajikan dengan kompleksitas system yang rumit. Sehingga sebisa mungkin para pelaku ekonomi itu memperoleh keuntungan yang besar dari sistem tersebut. Kebanyakan orang biasa tak mengetahui permainan trik di balik pilihan dan sikap konsumtif mereka.

Tim Harford menulis buku yang tergolong The Sunday Times Bes...more
Grant Schweppe
This book left me disappointed, built off the interest of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything I thought that this seemed interesting. As I started to read through the "chapters" I was getting less interested in what the book had to offer. Given the format of a 200 word response to each question, the amount of economics was very limited. Although it did mention a general theory of why something happens, I would not even feel satisfied if I had personally wrote t...more
Traci
In Dear Undercover Economist, the first collection of his wildly popular Financial Times columns, Tim Harford offers witty, charming, and at times caustic answers to our most pressing concerns - all through the lens of economics. Does money buy happiness? Is "the one" really out there? Can cities be greener than farms? Can you really "dress for success"? When's the best time to settle down? Harford provides brilliant, hilarious, unexpected, and wise answers to these and other questions. Arranged...more
Rydh
From a review by Robert Formaini of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas available from The Cato Journal:


Chapter 8 is a trenchant discussion of why poor nations are poor, using Cameroon as an exemplar. It is here that the book gets back on track. Harford rejects all the fashionable explanations for poverty in the third world and shows that corrupt governments are the general cause of all such ongoing economic basket cases. It is a devastating critique of “expert aid agencies” planning infrastructu
...more
Susannah
Since I haven't read it what I'm reviewing here would be its potential - based on the amusing interview of its author I heard on my way to work this morning.
His view on the best solution to whether to put the toilet seat up or down:
'From a straight efficiency standpoint, the way to prevent people from having to move the seat up or down more than absolutely necessary, is for them to just leave it as it is when they are finished. For all they know they will be the next one back in the bathroom....more
Theerasak Maneeneim
ผมล่ะช๊อบ ชอบ ตา TIM HARDFORD นี่เหลือเกิน
ติดใจตั้งแต่อ่าน "นักสืบเศรษฐศาสตร์" (เล่มก่อนหน้านี้ของตา TIM นี่แหล่ะ)

มาคราวนี้ตาทิมแกรวบรวมคอลัมภ์ของแกในหนังสือพิมพ์ Financial Time ที่แกได้ตอบคำถามของเหล่าบรรดาแฟนๆ ที่เขียนมาหา

ไม่น่าเชื่อ ไม่ว่าจะเรื่องเล็ก หรือเรื่องใหญ่ ตาทิมก็สามารถใช้หลักและทฤษฎีทางเศรษฐศาสตร์
มาตอบปัญหาคับข้องใจของแฟนานุแฟนของเขาได้เสมอ เช่น

เรื่องบนเตียง (ดิฉันควรจะแกล้งทำเสียงว่าเสร็จดีไหม)
เราควรภาวนาให้ได้ลูกสาวหรือลูกชายดีคะ?
เพื่อปรับปรุงโอกาสการขึ้นเงินเดือน ดิฉันควรเดินผ่า...more
Helvry Sinaga
Secara umum buku ini membahasakan teori ekonomi dengan sederhana. Ada teori mengenai kuasa kelangkaan, yaitu produsen akan menaikkan harga jualnya pada konsumen karena ia memiliki kuasa kelangkaan menyediakan barang/jasa. Saya langsung teringat pada T**KO*S*L, karena ia pionir layanan selular makanya tarifnya gila-gilaan. Makin ada pesaing, barulah ia menurunkan tarif. Lalu ada Eksternalitas. Sederhananya, eksternalitas itu ibarat seorang perokok pasif yang terhirup asap rokok dari perokok aktif...more
Remo
Totalmente decepcionante. Tras haber disfrutado mucho con El Economista camuflado, pensé que este libro sería, por así decirlo, más de lo mismo. Más historias interesantes en las que rascando un poco en la superficie de los hechos descubrimos el porqué de las cosas, desde la perspectiva económica. Pero no. El autor ha empaquetado en este libro un montón de columnas del Financial Times en las que NO responde a los lectores. En los cinco o seis párrafos que tiene cada columna sólo da tiempo a cita...more
Maria
The content:
This book is a compilation of Harford's Q&A pieces from his weekly advise column in The Financial Times.

What I like about Dear Undercover Economist:

- I've studied about some of the research (eg. performance pay for window cleaners) and economists (eg. Gary Becker) that Harford mentions, so this book acted as a nice review for me before the semester started.

- Harford's advises are always embedded in some economic theory that are often hilariously, interestingly, or thought-provoki...more
Terrie
I'm a huge fan of behavioral/pop economics, and thoroughly enjoyed this one. If you've read his FT columns regularly, this is obviously just a collection, but was well-organized. The last chapter was particularly amusing in that it provided economic answers to questions such as "why do I always lose socks in the laundry". I thought The Logic of Life fell far short of his first, so this was a pleasant surprise. I also love the phrase "small utility maximizer" as a synonym for child.
Diana
Sep 15, 2010 Diana is currently reading it  ·  review of another edition
bahasanya lumayan sulit.. tapi cara pembawaannya baik n high-class. butuh konsentrasi tinggi utk baca-nya. Intinya: ada hal di balik kopi yg mahal. 1 kopi bisa mengandung harga utk bayar sewa tempat (semakin strategis semakin mahal), utk bayar pelayan (utk pelayanan yg maksimal), jadi jgn pernah berpikir kopi hanyalah kopi biasa. Seseorang bertransaksi ada di posisi yg menguntungkan dan leading ketika dia punya sesuatu utk dijual yg mana langka atau tidak dimiliki oleh org lain.. semoga saya bis...more
Francis
This book probably gets about 3.5 stars from me, with a slight rounding up. This book is a collection of advice columns written by the Undercover Economist for the Financial Times over a period of years, essentially attempting to highlight the economist's view of the world (ruthlessly rational, challenging assumptions about social etiquette or common sense) by applying economical reasoning to typical "everyday" problems that people might have. The answers are often couched in somewhat economic j...more
Guy Grobler
A fantastic book for anyone who enjoys reading Harford and for anyone who wants a book with some economic theory but not to much theory. The book is a collection of letters and responses sent to Harford's column "Dear Undercover Economist" in the FT. The chapters are built according to topic of letter - love life and dating, family life, career and etc. Some of Harford's replies to his writers are hilarious when looking at the question posed to him (especially in the dating and love life section...more
David
an interesting look into selected write in questions from the public for Tim's quirky answers such as whether to fake orgasm, whether to get more response by posting own photo on dating sites, whether having an affair is considered as financial options, how to be happy at work, why kids FB friends are more than parents, etc...some of the responses are lame, but some are mostly sarcastic..worth an one day read..
Katie
I usually really enjoy what I refer to as pop-culture economics books.

However, I felt this collection of Q&A falls short of its competition (Freakonomics, Superfreakonomics, anything by Gladwell, etc). The question submissions claim to be legitimate, but to me, they seem ridiculous, almost banal, that I found it difficult to read.

Bottom line: I suggest you skip this one, unless you are a true economics junky.

Ajengp
ini buku ekonomi yang paling ringan yang pernah saya baca. Tim memberi teori, memberi contoh, menyarankan, dan menyerukan agar kita 'sedikit pintar' dalam menimbang 'harga' dan Tim berani memberi kalimat enteng untuk sebuah pemikiran mendalam. Apa lagi yang bisa kita harapkan dari sebuah buku ekonomi?
Muhammad Fadel
A good book which gives us insight from Hardford's wide perspective. Harford simply use everyday's life to explain how economics work, and how we see problems, or phenomenon in different way. Recommended for fresh students to get more understanding on the implementation of economics theory.
Kara
If you subscribe to the Financial Times, there's no need to get this book. It's a compilation of Harford's columns from there.

He basically takes serious questions (broadly: how should I raise my children, how can I have a successful relationship, how can I get rich, etc.) and answers them with an economics-based joke. As a former econ major, I thought it was hilarious. A little on the light side, sure, but a good coffee-table book. If you don't enjoy economics (or academic wittiness), don't pick...more
Ferdyansyah Putra
bukunya ringan,trus kocak.....cocok banget buat masyarakat awam yang pengen tau ekonomi tuh kayak mana,,,tapi kalo buat anak ekonomi ini tuh isinya kayak mata kuliah pengantar ekonomi pas semester 1 tapi gak ada itung-itungannya.........
Amy
While entertaining the thing that I really enjoyed about "plain terms" economics books (such as the Undercover Economist and Freakonomics) is the more in-depth explanations than a 3 paragraph column can offer. Close but no cigar.
Stephanie Price
I LOVE IT. As someone who holds a graduate degree in econ, to see ideas I toiled to learn applied to items that are actually useful and humorous makes me feel it was somewhat worth it. Plus it is just devastatingly funny!
Henri Hämäläinen
have to admit that mr Harford really can explain things easily and entertainingly. Many of thing that he brought up I knew, but still he explained those from an angle that really made it valuable to keep on reading.
Paul Childs
Nice, quick and fun to read book. Harford's advice is not always helpful but it certainly is interesting. It is amazing the variety of questions that you can find answers for from an economic perspective.
Ahmad Almusawi
Answers simple life questions in an economical logic. Fun to read and made me look at things differently. It makes you quantify any matter faces you, in order to take the right decision.
Urmish
Have you ever imagined understanding basic theories of economics, finance and human psychology without having to deal with technicalities? Have you ever imagined economics being a cool topic of conversation? Well, most of the world has not. But this book will change the way people look at economics. Tim Harford successfully manages to show how the world moves in the eyes of an economist. What we see as daily routine, habits or just plain luck, they see as a combination of market forces, market s...more
Shane
Easy reading, sometimes informative, mostly amusing in the British way. A decent follow-up to the author's book, The Undercover Economist, but not really serious reading.
Vince
Quick read. Utterly charming and easy to follow. The author answers readers questions using the framework of economic theory but this is just a front to crack wise.
Ihsan Hadi
Buku yang menarik untuk dibaca oleh orang2 yg mendalami ilmu ekonomi atau siapa saja yg peduli terhadap ekonomi khususnya politik ekonomi....
Spazfungus
This collection of Q&As is a fun quick read, often restating what is in Harford's (and various other behavioral eonomic authors) other books
Sameen Borker
This book is fabulous. It is like you enter a parallel universe. It's great to see how "problems" as we call them can be interpreted in such a pragmatic approach. Great fun to read!
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Dear Undercover Economist: The Undercover Economist Solves Life S Everyday Mysteries And Problems
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Dear Undercover Economist: The Very Best Letters From The "Dear Economist" Column
Dear Undercover Economist: The Very Best Letters from the "Dear Economist" Column: The Undercover Economist Solves Life's Everyday Mysteries and Problems
Dear Undercover Economist: Priceless Advice on Money, Work, Sex, Kids, and Life's Other Challenges (Paperback)

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Tim Harford is a member of the Financial Times editorial board. His column, “The Undercover Economist”, which reveals the economic ideas behind everyday experiences, is published in the Financial Times and syndicated around the world. He is also the only economist in the world to run a problem page, “Dear Economist”, in which FT readers’ personal problems are answered tongue-in-cheek with the late...more
More about Tim Harford...
The Undercover Economist The Logic of Life Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure The Market for Aid

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