Markets as truth-finding machines • • • • • (bewertet mit 4 von 5 Punkten)
Alle meine Rezensionen ansehen (REAL NAME) Rezension bezieht sich auf: The Undercover Economist (Taschenbuch) As someone who has attended his economics 101 lectures, this book didn't really tell me anything I didn't know.
What it does manage to do, however, is to do it in a manner that even economically disinterested people should be able to comprehend quickly and easily, should they so choose.
Harford does oversimplify a bit too much at places, but that's alright - if you want to get some REALLY basic points across to people this book might give you the ammunition to do so with well-developed and clearly structured examples.
His analogy of the market as truth-finding mechanism is especially useful:
1a. You want to know how much it would cost to solve a problem. 1b. You want to know how much people would be willing to pay for the solution.
2. People WILL lie. Companies will claim ridiculous costs and consumers will claim total disinterest in the product.
3. The best (and often only) way to find out how much things really costs and is worth to people is by forcing them to put their money where their mouth is - via markets.
Harford is a newspaper columnist and that shows in his style: He is a far smoother read than most economists and has a knack for explaining things concisely and with vivid imagery.
A buy for economy laypeople who want to gain a better understanding of market basics. Interesting for seasoned economists who'd like to better communicate their ideas to laypeople.