The Undercover Economist | 誠品線上

The Undercover Economist

作者 Harford, Tim
出版社 Penguin Random House LLC
商品描述 The Undercover Economist:◎一本有趣的簡明經濟學,與《蘋果橘子經濟學》齊名◎全球多位暢銷書作家齊聲推薦!◎牛津大學出版、榮登美、歐、日、韓等多國暢銷排行榜!當你

內容簡介

內容簡介 “The economy [isn’t] a bunch of rather dull statistics with names like GDP (gross domestic product),” notes Tim Harford, columnist and regular guest on NPR’s Marketplace, “economics is about who gets what and why.” In this acclaimed and riveting book–part exposé, part user’s manual–the astute and entertaining columnist from the Financial Times demystifies the ways in which money works in the world. From why the coffee in your cup costs so much to why efficiency is not necessarily the answer to ensuring a fair society, from improving health care to curing crosstown traffic–all the dirty little secrets of dollars and cents are delightfully revealed by The Undercover Economist.“A rare specimen: a book on economics that will enthrall its readers . . . It brings the power of economics to life.”–Steven D. Levitt, coauthor of Freakonomics“A playful guide to the economics of everyday life, and as such is something of an elder sibling to Steven Levitt’s wild child, the hugely successful Freakonomics.”–The Economist“A tour de force . . . If you need to be convinced of the everrelevant and fascinating nature of economics, read this insightful and witty book.”–Jagdish Bhagwati, author of In Defense of Globalization“This is a book to savor.”–The New York Times“Harford writes like a dream. From his book I found out why there’s a Starbucks on every corner [and] how not to get duped in an auction. Reading The Undercover Economist is like spending an ordinary day wearing X-ray goggles.”–David Bodanis, author of Electric Universe“Much wit and wisdom.”–The Houston ChronicleFrom Publishers Weekly Nattily packaged-the cover sports a Roy Lichtensteinesque image of an economist in Dick Tracy garb-and cleverly written, this book applies basic economic theory to such modern phenomena as Starbucks' pricing system and Microsoft's stock values. While the concepts explored are those encountered in Microeconomics 101, Harford gracefully explains abstruse ideas like pricing along the demand curve and game theory using real world examples without relying on graphs or jargon. The book addresses free market economic theory, but Harford is not a complete apologist for capitalism; he shows how companies from Amazon.com to Whole Foods to Starbucks have gouged consumers through guerrilla pricing techniques and explains the high rents in London (it has more to do with agriculture than one might think). Harford comes down soft on Chinese sweatshops, acknowledging "conditions in factories are terrible," but "sweatshops are better than the horrors that came before them, and a step on the road to something better." Perhaps, but Harford doesn't question whether communism or a capitalist-style industrial revolution are the only two choices available in modern economies. That aside, the book is unequaled in its accessibility and ability to show how free market economic forces affect readers' day-to-day.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Bookmarks MagazineHarford exposes the dark underbelly of capitalism in Undercover Economist. Compared with Steven Levitt’s and Stephen J. Dubner’s popular Freakonomics (*** July Aug 2005), the book uses simple, playful examples (written in plain English) to elucidate complex economic theories. Critics agree that the book will grip readers interested in understanding free-market forces but disagree about Harford’s approach. Some thought the author mastered the small ideas while keeping in sight the larger context of globalization; others faulted Harford for failing to criticize certain economic theories and to ground his arguments in political, organizational structures. Either way, his case studies—some entertaining, others indicative of times to come—will make you think twice about that cup of coffee. Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

各界推薦

各界推薦 ◎一本有趣的簡明經濟學,與《蘋果橘子經濟學》齊名 ◎全球多位暢銷書作家齊聲推薦! ◎牛津大學出版、榮登美、歐、日、韓等多國暢銷排行榜! 當你在咖啡館裡享受一杯充滿奶泡的卡布奇諾時,你有沒有想過,一杯咖啡的定價卻是成本的三倍之多;為了貪圖方便,你可能在通勤路上的黃金地段,快速買上一杯比其他地方都貴上一倍的咖啡?這些咖啡業者有人賺了很多錢,有些則否,還有一些人正盤算怎樣才能讓您將口袋裡的錢掏出來……這背後隱藏的經濟真相是什麼? 除了咖啡,提姆哈福特的臥底偵探角色也潛入超級市場中,幫讀者仔細比較同樣商品在不同超市定價不同的玄機是什麼?想省錢,絕對不是貨比三家這麼簡單而已。

作者介紹

作者介紹 Tim Harford is an editorial writer at the Financial Times, where he also writes the newspaper’s “Dear Economist” column and “The Undercover Economist” column, which also appears in Slate. He lives in London.

商品規格

書名 / The Undercover Economist
作者 / Harford, Tim
簡介 / The Undercover Economist:◎一本有趣的簡明經濟學,與《蘋果橘子經濟學》齊名◎全球多位暢銷書作家齊聲推薦!◎牛津大學出版、榮登美、歐、日、韓等多國暢銷排行榜!當你
出版社 / Penguin Random House LLC
ISBN13 / 9780345494016
ISBN10 / 0345494016
EAN / 9780345494016
誠品26碼 / 2680255186001
頁數 / 304
注音版 /
裝訂 / P:平裝
語言 / 3:英文
級別 / N:無

活動