Freakonomics by by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dunbar...

â€Å"Freakonomics: A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything†, is a best-selling book by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dunbar. Levitt describes the book as a effort to â€Å"strip away a layer or two from the surface of modern life and see what is happening underneath.† He does this by taking two seemingly unrelated events and associates them. From comparing teachers and sumo wrestlers, to inquiring why crack dealers still live with their mothers Levitt and Dunbar manage to successfully put a spin on conventional wisdom by looking at it through very different perspectives. Unlike most books this book has no central idea, in fact in the opening chapter Levitt makes clear that this is by design. The key concern was to make people†¦show more content†¦Economic incentives are those that a person responds to in the marketplace. Finally, moral incentives appeal to a person’s sense of right and wrong. Levitt says that economics is nothing more than the study of incentives. Chicago public school teachers that were found to change student’s answers on standardized tests and Japanese Sumo wrestlers who throw certain high steaks matches Levitt described how research projects led to termination of teachers that were cheating. Teachers in Chicago were offered incentives depending on how their students did on high steaks clearly giving them reason to cheat. After reviewing test scores and creating an algorithm they were able to accurately identify teachers who changed student’s answers. He then took the techniques they used to uncover cheating teachers and showed how and when sumo wrestlers were cheating. Levitt points to especially important matches being thrown, with the winners later reciprocating in less important matches, so that top wrestlers can maintain their status. Levitt points out that both groups under the right circumstances will cheat for similar reasons. In Chapter 2 the question is How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real estate agents? This chapter is all about information and how it can be used as one of the most powerful economic tools. The author claims that much of the KKK’s power came from the fact that soShow MoreRelated Early Learning: How Do Head Start Programs Contribute to Success608 Words   |  3 Pages). The Assistant Secretary heads it for Children and Families; it also has a $47 billion budget for 65 programs that targets children, youth, and families. The effectiveness of the Head Start Program is controversial, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dunbar, author of Freakonomics (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study). They concluded that the Head Start participation has no lasting effect on test scores. Children whom finish the program and attend a disadvantaged school performed worse than their