Book review By catherine ousey

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores The Hidden Side of Everything Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner William Morrow 2005

Some may think the phrase “rogue economist” is an oxymoron, but Steven Levitt shows in this book that he deserves the title. Examining relationships between seemingly unrelated social events, Levitt won the John Bates Clark medal that is awarded every two years to the best American economist under forty. Levitt and Dubner, a journalist, have collaborated to create a fascinating book that takes aim at some aspects of conventional wisdom. Establishing the premise that morality is the way we would like the world to be and economics is the way the world actually is, the authors attempt to answer some quirky questions. Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their mothers? How much influence do parents have on the school success of their children? The answers may surprise you. Possibly the most intriguing question they examine is the reason for the precipitous decline in crime during the 1990s. They postulate several factors that may account for this drop in their chapter titled, “Where Have All The Criminals Gone?” The most controversial factor is the ease and increase in availability of abortions after the Roe v. Wade case of the early seventies. They conclude that after this famous case fewer children were born to poor, young mothers, resulting in fewer criminals about a generation later, the nineties. Lest the reader think this is an unsubstantiated theory, they have some persuasive arguments. The states that allowed abortions earlier than Roe v. Wade experienced a drop in crime rates earlier than other states. Those states that had more abortions had lower crimes rates than others where fewer abortions were performed. Exploring such questions with wit and curiosity, Levitt could never be accused of Carlyle’s designation of an economist as a “professor of the dismal science.” This book is a humorous exploration of society unwanted from an unconventional economist’s point of view. It is accessible and well written. It will give you much to ponder.