Freakonomics
In an eye-opening talk — presented before the publication of Freakonomics — Steven Levitt presents one of the book’s more fascinating analyses. Sifting data collected through first-person interviews with a Chicago drug gang, he shows that drug dealing is not at all a quick route to riches. And yes, a drug gang does have a org chart.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7592212206979105412
About Steven Levitt:
With his 2005 book Freakonomics (co-authored with Stephen Dubner, a writer who profiled him for the New York Times), Steven Levitt carried hardcore economic method into the squishy real world and produced a pop-culture classic. Freakonomics is both an economics textbook and a series of cautionary tales about the fallacy of conventional wisdom. Levitt examines the links between real-world events, and finds many instances where the data simply doesn’t back up popular belief.
He asks provocative questions: If selling crack is so lucrative, why do dealers live with their mothers? Does parental doting really improve children’s test scores? Did New York City’s crime rate really drop because of police tactics (or population trends)? His controversial answers stir debate, and sometimes backlash.
Tags: Business, Conventional Wisdom, Economics, Freakonomics, Provocative Questions, Stephen Dubner, Steven LevittIf you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
