NCW Libraries

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime? These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask--but Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the stuff and riddles of everyday life--from cheating and crime to sports and child...

Economists often act as if their methods explain all human behavior. But in Cents and Sensibility, an eminent literary critic and a leading economist make the case that the humanities, especially the study of literature, offer economists ways to make their models more realistic, their predictions more accurate, and their policies more effective and just.Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro trace the connection between Adam Smith's great classic, The...

"Every day we make choices--about food and other purchases, financial investments, our children's health and education, even the causes we champion or the planet itself. Unfortunately, we often choose poorly. Using dozens of eye-opening examples and drawing on decades of behavioral science research, Nudge shows how sensible "choice architecture" can help us to overcome the biases that lead to bad decisions and nudge us toward the best decisions for...

"Research studies over the past few decades reveal an interesting paradox: Lack of money is linked to depression, relationship problems, lower performance on difficult tasks, and even shorter life expectancy, yet just thinking about money can lead to antisocial behavior and reduce compassion. It would appear that money creates a lose-lose scenario: If you don & rsquo;t have it, your performance suffers, your relationships suffer, and you may die sooner....