false 70420 17 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. 717900 book 1 11 2005 The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor--and Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car! total:1176|5:180|4:496|3:391|2:99|1:19| 1176 4238 1871 262 4 2 false false Sun Jan 20 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 21 09:30:08 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 10:10:01 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 2 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 04 10:24:31 -0700 2007 Sat Feb 23 23:50:00 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat Oct 25 06:01:35 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 25 06:11:57 -0700 2008 The World of Truth. ‘Oh god’, I thought, ‘this can only mean one thing…’

But I was wrong. This was a ...more...]]> 5 2 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Dec 03 04:28:40 -0800 2007 Mon Dec 03 04:38:30 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Sun Jun 03 08:04:44 -0700 2007 Sun Jun 03 08:07:03 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 12 12:46:19 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 27 20:25:54 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 1 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 18 07:05:32 -0700 2008 Thu Jan 15 08:15:59 -0800 2009 Financial Times editor it will come as no surprise that Hardford thinks trade unions and free healthcare are bad, sweatshops are good and the free market will fix everything. There's something to...more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 07:11:35 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 07:21:35 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 19:23:06 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 20:19:36 -0700 2009
What sets this book apart from other economics books is the examples. Mr Hartfo...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Mon Aug 06 01:56:38 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 06 04:32:13 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 1 true false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 27 06:05:36 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 01 09:26:56 -0700 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:38:45 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:38:45 -0800 2009 Harford exposes the dark underbelly of capitalism in Undercover Economist. Compared with Steven Levitt's and Stephen J. Dubner's popular Freakonomics (*** July/Aug 2005), the book uses simple, playful examples (written in plain English) to elucidate complex economic theories. Critics agree that the ...

more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jan 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 19:25:46 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 17 23:04:49 -0800 2009 ...more...]]> 2 1 false false Sun Dec 14 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 15:59:55 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 16:02:40 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 true false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Apr 17 08:30:45 -0700 2007 Tue Apr 17 08:31:35 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Mon Oct 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 20:12:16 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 20:14:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Aug 15 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Apr 15 20:49:36 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 20:54:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 02 10:18:56 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 10:23:19 -0800 2009
Of all the fun economics books I've read in the past year, this is my favorite. The writing is clear, easy to und...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Apr 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 18:38:08 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 18:42:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jan 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 30 05:40:17 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 05 04:46:57 -0800 2009 more...]]>