What Would Keynes Do?: How the greatest economists would solve your everyday problems

by Tejvan Pettinger

Have you ever wondered what Adam Smith would have to say about you playing the lottery? Or whether Jeremy Bentham could cure your hangover (through economics)? Ever pondered over what Milton Friedman might get you for Christmas?

By comparing and contrasting what the greatest economists of all time would have to say about 40 questions from your everyday life, What Would Keynes Do? will help you get to grips with all the important economic theories in an original and thought-provoking way.

Includes such puzzling conundrums as:
-Should I park in an illegal parking space and risk a fine?
-Should I go to University or start working straight away?
-Should I leave my children all my wealth after my death or spread it out throughout my life?
-Should I ever commit a crime?
-If I enjoy drinking beer, how much should I drink?
-Is it OK to be selfish?
-Should I vote for a political party which promises to raise taxes?

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 21, 2018

Reviews

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!
I really enjoyed this book
Do you want to read a practical economic book and this is the one ...
Very precise and entertaining .
You may have lot of question while driving to office and all those questions are answered.
A must read to enjoy and enlight..
Very beautiful journey..

[Tim Roast · Rating 4 out of 5]

I work with a bunch of economists, the collective term being a deficit or a recession of economists, and they are always harping on about the marginal gain of this and the marginal cost of that. I thought I'd read this book to find out more about their language and what makes them tick.

Well first thing to say this is more than just a novelty book. The layout is great with colour, diagrams and the occasional caricature of an economist but there is also plenty of content within. Each mini-chapter is an essay answering a particular question that has vexed economists and the common man (possibly) alike for years, perhaps. These are arranged around five themes - life choices, the consumer, work, finance and politics.

The answers to the questions bring together what prominent, such as cover-star John Maynard Keynes, and not so prominent economists in the past have said on the matter (or a similar matter as the problems of today may be slightly different to eras past thanks to advancement in technology such as cars) before summing up in a non-committal box where both views are expressed. This is because "if there is one thing that unites economists it is the awareness that there is always another point of view".

In this way I learnt that economists like to park illegally, that they don't recycle and that "the people who want to abolish Christmas are Scrooge and mainstream economist theorists". Or I learnt the exact opposite depending on who I want to listen to.

[Mayank · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone without any formal understanding of economic theories and economists except for those encountered in armchair discussions, this book has been a nice read, especially because of how it brings everyday questions and gives them an analytical treatment from the point of view of multiple economists and the theories they presented and tries to allow some sort of rationalisation of these decision making processes. This book is not for people who already have some sort of formal introduction to economics and economic theories because this book doesn't get into in-depth analyses and they might feel disappointed by the lack of depth.

[Borislav Angelov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! It makes you think about everything :))

[Dan Sumption · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book attempts to give various economists' perspectives on a number of questions. These questions go well beyond the scope of simple finances, and include many ideas from behaviorual economics. They are split into four general areas: Life Choices (e.g. "is it OK to be selfish?", "How can I lose weight?"), The Consumer (e.g. "How much should we give to charity?", "How can I get a good deal when shopping?"), Work (e.g. "How can I get a pay rise?", "How do I motivate my fellow workers?"), Finance (e.g. "How much should I put into retirement savings?", "How much personal debt should I take on?") and Politics (e.g. "Should we worry about rising inequality?", "Should health care be private or public?")

Each question is addressed from the perspective of multiple economists, and finishes with a summary which invariably goes something like "it depends which economist you believe". Given the range of opinions covered in a few pages, there is very little depth to the analysis given, but it is a fun introduction to economics and covers an extremely wide range of economic ideas (some bang up-to-date: there are references here to recent bestsellers such as Kate Raworth's 2017 book Doughnut Economics).

[Abdul Mannan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can make better and valuable conversations on these everyday matters in my social circle.

[Potorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Sách chủ đề kinh tế học pha lẫn một chút tâm lý học hành vi.
Nội dung sách cung cấp cho bạn các góc nhìn khác nhau về cùng 1 vấn đề, trải rộng qua nhiều mảng như xã hội (giải quyết xung đột với hàng xóm), kinh tế (cách đối phó lạm phát), tài chính (nên tiết kiệm thế nào) và cả chính trị (ủng hộ hay phản đối các công xưởng bóc lột). Mình chỉ nên ra 1 vài vấn đề mình thấy hấp dẫn, trong sách còn nhiều vấn đề khác cũng hay ho ko kém.
Các vấn đề mang tính thời sự và được phân tích dưới góc nhìn chủ đạo của kinh tế học, đôi lúc bạn sẽ ngỡ ngàng nhận ra "A! Trước giờ mình hiểu sai vấn đề này rồi!" hoặ c "Trước giờ mình ko nghĩ ra được tới mức này!". Nhưng văn phong gần gũi và đủ đơn giản để người có kiến thức phổ thông cũng có thể tiếp thu được.

[Ankit · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quirky collection of common questions and answers provided from the perspectives of various economists. The author has done a good job of collating various views and approaches to answering every question, but fallen short of answering any single question definitively.
The book is a good read to get an introduction to economics / behavioural psychology if you haven't read much else, but can get a little dull if you have already a few of the popular books on the subject.

[ThienPham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuốn sách đầu tiên về kinh tế nhận thức mà tôi đọc, thật sự nó thay đổi nhận thức khá nhiều, đúng hơn là rất nhiều. Tôi bắt đầu nhận thấy mình thích với cảm giác có thêm kiến thức, thật đấy, tôi thèm muốn có thêm knowledge, chắc tôi đã nghiệm nó, nhưng lại thật phũ phàng khi tôi khó thật sự khó để có sách học, với số tiền mà tôi có mỗi tháng tôi thật sự không giám nghĩ tới việc mua sách nữa, do đó đọc sách online là lựa chọn của tôi. (tôi muợn nó từ một roommates, Nam 420)

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

While fairly accessible and enjoyable to read at times, this book makes sweeping generalizations or errors that are easy (and arguably more necessary) to avoid in an econ book meant for the masses. It is a fun place to start thinking about economics in life, but definitely does not hold up as a reliable or accurate primer to recommend to a friend just looking to understand econ in their life.

[Shreyak Chakraborty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book taught me a lot about economics in a practical sense and how it relates to everyday life. Also it has important references to other sources for additional and related knowledge. Overall a great read due to the question based format.

[Yanislav Ivanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light read, yet raises interesting questions by pitting different economists' points of view regarding everyday topics.

[Kiril]

Meh

[Low Keng onn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably it's just me. I find the wording and writing font size too small.
The ideas are there. But a strain to read.

[Leti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Не очаквах да е толкова интересно и забавно четиво, изненадах се приятно :)

[Ngọc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drop it vì kinh tế học k phải sở trường.
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