The Dismal Science's Freaky Side?

[Jeff Kinz]

On Sat, Mar 11, 2006 at 09:40:50AM -0800, Kuni Tetsu wrote:
> Um. That is not the sum total. Freakonomics is hardly real science, let alone
> good data. Yes, I have read it. I have also read what real economists thing
> about it. That is a whole other thread and I will not bring it in here.

Quoted:

    Being human, economists tend to envy those in their profession who
achieve internal fame, but roll their eyes and mutter about those who
try to communicate with non-economists. Especially galling are
economists who write bestsellers (with or without help). Steven Levitt
need not fear such criticisms, as his career is already quite successful
and his future well-assured. He is a tenured professor at the storied
economics department of the University of Chicago, and the 2003 winner
of the John Bates Clark medal, biennially awarded to the nation's best
young economist by the American Economics Association. Governments,
politicians, and corporations routinely seek his advice. But as this
book makes clear, Levitt is not your typical economic Titan. For one
thing, he freely admits to mathematical deficiencies that would cripple
the careers of other economists. For another, he seems to like spending
time in the real world, analyzing actual problems as opposed to purely
theoretical ones. Finally, he communicates those findings not only to
his colleagues but to the general public. I suppose this is a bit
strange for an economist, but I'm glad he does it, because someone has
to.

From: http://libertyunbound.com/archive/2005_07/formaini-freaky.html

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything,"
by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. William Morrow, 2005, 242
pages.

    The Dismal Science's Freaky Side?

    by Robert Formaini
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-- 
Jeff Kinz, Emergent Research, Hudson, MA.