The Economics Sherlock Holmes

Did you know that your professional life in advertising/media/ publishing or any other second-tier glamorous job is very much similar to that of a gun-toting drug dealer? Maybe not. But an innovative approach towards Economics can prove that.  

Economics can arouse the terror of boredom in most of the people. Not anymore. Freakonomics proved this from the very first pages. In this book, the author challenges traditional wisdom and explores the reasons behind various phenomena with the eyes of a detective and the mind of an economist.

For example, your parents must have worked really hard to choose your name. After all, the name becomes your identity and, perhaps, also influences your life. But is it really so?

The book cites example of a father who named his two sons ‘Winner’ and ‘Loser’. Not joking. He really named them like this. When researchers followed their career graphs many years down the line, the results were surprising. ‘Loser’ joined police force and became a respectable detective. And ‘Winner’ had a lengthy criminal record decorated with nearly three dozen arrests for burglary, domestic violence, and other mayhem.

There are many such themes which the author has explored. And he has ended up finding the reasons behind many phenomena which were completely unexpected and unseen by the experts.

But the real gift of the book goes more than just exploring these themes and surprising you with results. It also creates a doubt in your mind. A doubt on your firm belief in traditional wisdom.

You might start thinking about the things happening in your life with a new approach. You might like to find out the real reason behind them, not the old and accepted one. You would love turning into a detective in your own way.