Freedomnomics : Why the Free Market Works and Other Half-baked Theories Don't

How free-market economies really work (and why they work so well) Are free market economies really based on fleecing the consumer? Is the U.S. economy truly just a giant free-for-all that encourages duplicity in our everyday transactions? Is everyone from corporate CEOs to your local car salesman really looking to make a buck at your expense? In Freedomnomics: Why the Free Market Works and Other Half-Baked Theories Don't, economist and bestselling author John R. Lott, Jr., answers these and other common economic questions, bravely confronting the profound distrust of the market that the bestselling book Freakonomics has helped to popularize. Using clear and hard-hitting examples, Lott shows how free markets liberate the best, most creative, and most generous aspects of our society--while efforts to constrain economic liberty, no matter how well-intentioned, invariably lead to increased poverty and injustice. Extending its rigorous economic analysis even further to our political and criminal justice systems, Freedomnomics reveals: ? How the free market creates incentives for people to behave honestly ? How political campaign restrictions keep incumbents in power ? Why legalized abortion leads to family breakdown, which creates more crime ? Why affirmative action in police departments leads to higher crime rates ? How women's suffrage led to a massive increase in the size of government · Why women become more conservative when they get married and more liberal when they get divorced ? How secret ballots reduce voter participation ? Why state-owned companies and government agencies are much more likely to engage in unfair predation than are private firms ? Why the controversial assertions made in the trendy book Freakonomics are almost entirely wrong Entertaining, persuasive, and based on dozens of economic studies spanning decades, Freedomnomics not only shows how free markets really work--but proves that, when it comes to promoting prosperity and economic justice, nothing works better. Table of Contents Praise Title Page Dedication Introduction Chapter 1 - Are You Getting Ripped Off? Speculators, Price Gougers, and Other Good People How Monopolies and Price Discrimination Help Save Lives Why Are Dinners and Liquor So Expensive in Restaurants? Why are Last-Minute Airline Tickets So Expensive? Why Does the Price Spread Between Full and Self-Service Gas Vary? Predatory Pricing—Not as Easy as it Seems The Failure of Some Typical “Market Failure” Tales Court Regulation: Good Intentions, Bad Results Chapter 2 - Reputations What Keeps Politicians and Businesses Honest? Why Do People Donate Money to Political Campaigns? Campaign Finance Reform Why is Campaign Spending Increasing So Quickly? The Myth of Double-Giving Individual Reputations and Crime Reputations: Keeping Corporations Honest Chapter 3 - Government as Nirvana? C’mon and Take a Free Ride Diversified Stock Holding: A Free Market Approach to Keeping Corporate Peace State Predators and Private Lambs The Modern Guild System Smoking Bans—Light ’Em Up Chapter 4 - Crime and Punishment Why did Crime Fall During the 1990s? What Increased Crime? Part I What Increased Crime? Part II What Decreased Crime? Part I What Decreased Crime? Part II What Decreased Crime? Part III What Didn’t Really Matter? Part I What Didn’t Really Matter? Part II The Verdict Is Still Out A Few Odds and Ends about Crime Chapter 5 - Voting Rights and Voting Wrongs Women’s Suffrage and the Growth of Government Suppressing Voter Turnout: The Poll Tax, Secret Ballots, and Literacy Tests Voter Fraud Voting Machines The 2000 Florida Vote Early Media Calls Felon Voting Is the Media Biased? Government Control of Information: From Public Schools to Television Parting Thoughts Acknowledgements Notes Index Copyright Page Are Free Market Economies Really Based On Fleecing The Consumer? Is Everyone From Corporate Ceos To Your Local Car Salesman Really Looking To Make A Buck At Your Expense? Here, Economist John R. Lott, Jr., Answers These And Other Common Economic Questions, Bravely Confronting The Profound Distrust Of The Market That The Bestselling Book Freakonomics Has Helped To Popularize. Using Clear And Hard-hitting Examples, Lott Shows How Free Markets Liberate The Best, Most Creative, And Most Generous Aspects Of Our Society--while Efforts To Constrain Economic Liberty, No Matter How Well-intentioned, Invariably Lead To Increased Poverty And Injustice. Lott Reveals: How The Free Market Creates Incentives For People To Behave Honestly; How Political Campaign Restrictions Keep Incumbents In Power; Why Legalized Abortion Leads To Family Breakdown, Which Creates More Crime; Why Affirmative Action In Police Departments Leads To Higher Crime Rates; And How Secret Ballots Reduce Voter Participation.--from Publisher Description. Are You Getting Ripped Off? -- Reputations -- Government As Nirvana? -- Crime And Punishment -- Voting Rights And Voting Wrongs -- Conclusion: Parting Thoughts. John R. Lott, Jr. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 197-259) And Index. Are free market economies really based on fleecing the consumer? Is the U.S. economy truly just a giant free-for-all that encourages duplicity in our everyday transactions? Is everyone from corporate CEOs to your local car salesman really looking to make a buck at your expense? In Freedomnomics: Why the Free Market Works and Other Half-Baked Theories Don't, economist and bestselling author John R. Lott, Jr., answers these and other common economic questions, bravely confronting the profound distrust of the market that the bestselling book Freakonomics has helped to popularize. Using clear and hard-hitting examples, Lott shows how free markets liberate the best, most creative, and most generous aspects of our society - while efforts to constrain economic liberty, no matter how well-intentioned, invariably lead to increased poverty and injustice.