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Freedomnomics: Why the Free Market Works and Other Half-Baked Theories Don't
amazon ^ | (June 4, 2007) | John R. Lott Jr.

Posted on 07/04/2007 12:32:12 AM PDT by dennisw

of 6 people found the following review helpful:
More than just three cheers for the free market., June 28, 2007
By  Douglas W. Allen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I'm a professor of economics, and I'm very familiar with the work of John Lott. I bought this book because I enjoy reading arm-chair econ books ... just can't get enough econ! Normally I'm disappointed because the examples and applications are usually stolen and reworked material that's been around for years. Not so with Lott's book.

The great thing about the book is not just the refreshing topics, but Lott's gifted approach to understanding them. Take, for example, the growth of government. Many bright minds have worked to explain why did governments grow so fast after WWI? Dozens of theories have been spun, none very successful. Not only does Lott have an ingenious answer (women's suffrage), but he also has an ingenious test and exploits the fact that some states voluntarily granted the right, while other states had it forced on them. It is Lott's ability to come up with clever and convincing tests and evidence that separates him from others.

I don't like the title of the book, and I don't like the sub-line "a rebuttal to Freakonomics." The book is much more than this, and I'm sure the publisher had more to do with the cover than the author. If the cover turns you off, I'd open the book and read a few pages.

The book is well written and accessible to anyone interested in social behavior. A very good read and highly recommended.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Freedom, An End in Itself., June 25, 2007
By  Bernard Chapin "Ora Et Labora!" (CHICAGO! USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Even though I have no background in economics I picked up Dr. John Lott's Freedomnomics the other day and was somewhat surprised to find it as fascinating a read as it was. It's designed to be a direct response to the wildly successful Freakonomics, and the text here was definitely written with laymen in mind. In other words, the statistics he presents are more educational than they are overwhelming. As far as the politics goes, Dr. Lott is obviously a man of the right but the book is not a partisan affair. It is a sincere attempt to demystify the innerworkings of economics. There's no plugging of any candidates or of a party here. It's kind of sad to acknowledge but recognizing the inherent inefficiency of government, along with the way in which private individuals spend their earnings more efficiently, is often a partisan issue in this country but it really shouldn't be.

Dr. Lott emphasizes the liberty and justice inherent to capitalism, and debunks numerous arguments about the limitations of the free market along the way. The bottom line here is that capitalism is what has allowed America to become as well-off as we are. In how many other countries is the overeating of poor people a major concern? As far as what positions struck me as being the strongest, I'd have to say that his link between women's suffrage and the swelling of government was ironclad. Further, in but two pages, he gave one of the best explanations that I've heard for why college faculties are ideologically skewed. I also have to admit that the Myth of Double Giving was completely unknown to me before opening this book. I always just accepted the idea that corporations covered their bets by giving to both political parties simultaneously. Upon reading this I discovered that the press reporting of these figures is completely inaccurate. The company net for donations is a total of what private donators, who happen to work for a particular corporation, give. They do not come from the company itself. Nowhere was Dr. Lott stronger than in his examination of the fashionable theory that increased abortion rates decrease crime. He found the opposite to be true and was most persuasive--in fact, the whole book is most persuasive. The whole country would be better off if half of our young people were lucky enough to read the chapter, "Government as Nirvana?"

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4 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
Freedomnomics? , June 24, 2007
By  E. Litmer "Freedomonmics Major" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The author is obviously a billowing fool who not only preaches far right agendas, but must condemn anything that is not. He must place on the title "Rebuttal to Freakonomics" This is only too get attention and reap the benefit of its successful counterpart. Lets face it, this author has washed up ideas, with a washed up agenda. He only is trying to make his extra buck by bashing everything in Freakonomics.

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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Toward Understanding How Markets Work, June 16, 2007
By  Edgar K. Browning (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
As a professor of economics, I am aware of how difficult it is to communicate the "simple" principles of economics. The approaoch that seems to work best involves the use of lots of examples, especially ones that engage and challenge students. John Lott's new book is filled with such examples. While it can be recommended to anyone with an interest in how the economy works, it should be especially valuable to teachers and students of economics. (I am going to assign the section "Women's Suffrage and the Growth of Government" in my public finance class in the fall.)

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TOPICS: Books/Literature
KEYWORDS: bang; banglist; bookreview; freakonomics; freedomnomics; johnlott; prolife

1 posted on 07/04/2007 12:32:14 AM PDT by dennisw
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To: dennisw
He must place on the title "Rebuttal to Freakonomics" This is only too get attention and reap the benefit of its successful counterpart.

I wonder if this person has a problem with Al Franken, who rode Rush and BOR to (sorta) fame and fortune?

2 posted on 07/04/2007 12:43:32 AM PDT by Darkwolf377 (Bostonian, atheist, prolifer)
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; KlueLass; ...
Ping!

3 posted on 07/08/2007 4:14:10 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (This tagline optimized for the Mosaic browser. Profile updated Friday, July 6, 2007.)
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