Dave Naffziger’s Blog

Fascinating exploration of causation

Review of: Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

By: David Naffziger

Rating: 5

Read review on Judy’s Book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Freakonomics - the authors provide a look at some popularly held beliefs about why things are they way they are.

Steven Levitt goes on to prove several fascinating points:
- teachers cheat on high stakes tests that their students take (and their cheating can be algorithmically discovered)
- car seats don’t save kids lives (I’ll probably still buy one though)
- and of course the finding that he is most notorious for: the legalization of abortion is responsible for the drop in crime in the 90s. I love the way he approaches problems (believe no one), and the analytical approach & counter-approach that he takes. Overall, it is an incredibly enjoyable read.