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50th out of 63 books
—
63 voters
Identity Economics: How Our Identities Shape Our Work, Wages, and Well-Being
"Identity Economics" provides an important and compelling new way to understand human behavior, revealing how our identities--and not just economic incentives--influence our decisions. In 1995, economist Rachel Kranton wrote future Nobel Prize-winner George Akerlof a letter insisting that his most recent paper was wrong. Identity, she argued, was the missing element that w...more
Hardcover, 185 pages
Published
February 21st 2010
by Princeton University Press
(first published February 8th 2010)
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I can't believe economists are just now discovering that how people view themselves and their place in society affects the economic decisions they make. Identity economics is a very promising field, and this book represents the tip of the iceberg. The chapters on gender and race left much to be desired, but as this book is merely an introduction to the topic of identity, and because entire books can be (and have been) written on how gender and race/ethnicity influence economic behavior, I'm will...more
Grabbed this book from the new book shelf at work as I needed something to listen to on my commute.
It was interesting, but I am glad I have a degree in economics, as some of the terminology was definitely subject specific. It talked about a relatively new aspect of economics that uses individual or group identity perception to predict behaviour. Some types of identity are generally fixed (race, gender), while others are temporary and may change over time. Standard economics says that people woul...more
It was interesting, but I am glad I have a degree in economics, as some of the terminology was definitely subject specific. It talked about a relatively new aspect of economics that uses individual or group identity perception to predict behaviour. Some types of identity are generally fixed (race, gender), while others are temporary and may change over time. Standard economics says that people woul...more
Trevor Phillips OBE ,head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, has chosen to discuss George A Akerlof and Rachel E Kranton’s Identity Economics: How Our Identities Shape Our Work, Wages and Well-Being , on FiveBooks (http://five-books.com) as one of the top five on his subject - Equality, saying that:
“…This recently published book says that one effect of being in an increasingly liberal and affluent society is that aspects of identity that previously didn’t seem to matter that much to e...more
“…This recently published book says that one effect of being in an increasingly liberal and affluent society is that aspects of identity that previously didn’t seem to matter that much to e...more
How we identify ourselves is vital to the decisions we make, and its something that traditional economics does not address, so I was pleased to stumble onto this book. It is surprisingly short, which makes it an easy read. As intended by the authors, this is just an outline and introduction to how to apply identity utility and the outsider vs. insider paradigm. I think this theory could be extremely useful for analyzing international economics, in addition to the smaller scale issues analyzed in...more
The topic of this book is very interesting; however, it is basically an elaboration of Akerlof's AEA presidential address "The Missing Motivation in Macroeconomics." I became interested in reading the book after reading that address, but the book is more or less a less-technical exposition of the same ideas. The overall thrust is that economists need to incorporate social norms into their models of utility functions, and that doing so can help explain several counterintuitive results that arise...more
Oct 30, 2011
Roy Kenagy
marked it as to-read
Publisher's blurb: http://bit.ly/rrs6WM
"Identity Economics bridges a critical gap in the social sciences. It brings identity and norms to economics. People's notions of what is proper, and what is forbidden, and for whom, are fundamental to how hard they work, and how they learn, spend, and save. Thus people's identity--their conception of who they are, and of who they choose to be--may be the most important factor affecting their economic lives. And the limits placed by society on people's ide...more
"Identity Economics bridges a critical gap in the social sciences. It brings identity and norms to economics. People's notions of what is proper, and what is forbidden, and for whom, are fundamental to how hard they work, and how they learn, spend, and save. Thus people's identity--their conception of who they are, and of who they choose to be--may be the most important factor affecting their economic lives. And the limits placed by society on people's ide...more
I started with the misperception this was a book on economics, but it fits better in the business category.
A late section illustrates my view of the book:
.. most economists also believe that a good model yields surprising conculsions.. there must be a gentlemanly distance between assumptions and conclusions, otherwise the theory is vacuous... We are like the sage who explained movement by saying that it is due to the principles of locomotion.
The section goes on to point out two examples of conc...more
A late section illustrates my view of the book:
.. most economists also believe that a good model yields surprising conculsions.. there must be a gentlemanly distance between assumptions and conclusions, otherwise the theory is vacuous... We are like the sage who explained movement by saying that it is due to the principles of locomotion.
The section goes on to point out two examples of conc...more
A short primer on the utility of adding sociological notions of identity to neoclassical economic analysis - particularly in the form of preference formation and expression. The book is lucid, well-written, and thoughtful, though not particularly compelling for those familiar with the many problems inherent in the rational actor assumptions of homo economicus Consider it another salvo in the ongoing war fought by sociologists, psychologists, and dissident economists against the hegemony of the C...more
His book has lukewarm reviews but I'm gonna give it a 4 because i think identity economics has great potential. The reader must understand that it is still a field in the fetal stages of development so studies and data are limited.
I was first exposed to identity economics when I read gang leader for a day. The book showed that even though drug dealers made minimum wage (equivalent to a mcdonalds salary), they chose the more risky profession because they wanted to be identified a certain way. Th...more
I was first exposed to identity economics when I read gang leader for a day. The book showed that even though drug dealers made minimum wage (equivalent to a mcdonalds salary), they chose the more risky profession because they wanted to be identified a certain way. Th...more
This book helped me understand why, who, and how we become us. We are very much dependent on our sense of belonging that dictates what we will become. Perhaps with an understanding of where we come from we can become more than who we are today. The economy evolves around the very classification of who we are. Enjoy the book.
You do not need this book to understand the academic literature in economics of identity, nor do you need this book if you want to be entertained by the amazing power of identity in human society. So only suitable for those who do research in the area and want a light reading that relevant...
Identity economics merely formalises the takeaways from social psych by giving social psych a framework from which its ideas could flow. Doesn't seem to be offering much more than what social psych already has - in fact, the latter tends to be richer and more insightful.
Identity Economic Theory which asses the supply and demand involved with identity and their commitment to the task at hand. Goffman's Marry-go-round theory. Works well.
Akerlof offers a very accessible take on the way in which cultural and identity shapes our consumption decisions.
An interesting and useful economic concept - but the writing itself isn't all that engaging
We can't separate our identities from our decisions and the overall ways in which we live our lives - something to keep in mind when faced with any kind of decision-making process. This is an informative and enjoyable book, an interesting meeting of the economics and psychology worlds.
Two astute economists attempt to theorize and quantify why people, based on "in" and "out" group identity, will act against their economic interests. You'd think that the economic backlash from treating certain customers badly, or refusing to hire talented people from a particular group, or clinging to marketing that reflects a stereotypical view would force change, but generally not.
hmm, a book about economics without a single equation or hardly any numbers. i wish they had shown a bit more of the formal modeling
May 17, 2013
Neil Cotter
added it
May 12, 2013
Scott Clark
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May 07, 2013
Begemot
marked it as to-read
May 06, 2013
Ike Sharpless
marked it as to-read
Apr 24, 2013
Rebecca
marked it as to-read
Apr 23, 2013
Eagan
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Apr 15, 2013
Grant Gherity
marked it as to-read
Apr 14, 2013
Sabina
marked it as to-read
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George A. Akerlof is a Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics.
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L
May 20, 2010 10:36am