Chapter Excerpts
- An Explanatory Note
In which the origins of this book are clarified. - Introduction
In which the book’s central idea is set forth: namely, if morality represents how people would like the world to work, then economics shows how it actually does work. - Chapter 1: What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?
In which we explore the beauty of incentives, as well as their dark side: cheating. - Chapter 2: How Is the Ku Klux Klan Like a Group of Real-Estate Agents?
In which it is argued that nothing is more powerful than information, especially when its power is abused. - Chapter 3: Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with Their Moms?
In which the conventional wisdom is often found to be a web of fabrication, self-interest, and convenience. - Chapter 4: Where Have All the Criminals Gone?
In which the facts of crime are sorted out from the fictions. - Chapter 5: What Makes a Perfect Parent?
In which we ask, from a variety of angles, a pressing question: do parents really matter? - Chapter 6: Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?
In which we weigh the importance of a parent’s first official act: naming the baby.