Review by Choice Review
The title of this work may lead readers to believe that it is another work in behavioral economics. It is that and more. The major contribution Gneezy (Univ. of California, San Diego) and List (Univ. of Chicago) make is to describe field experiments and what they can reveal about what drives behavior. Through their field experiments, the authors provide insights into such issues as the wage gap between women and men, the achievement gap in education, discrimination, and charitable giving. In that regard, this work will interest those in other social sciences beyond economics, business, and education. The ultimate goal is to challenge assumptions and learn through observation which incentives (or disincentives) apply in specified situations. The authors contend that gaining such understanding may facilitate policy being better crafted and conducted. As the authors state, "Without understanding that life really is a laboratory, and that we must all learn from our discoveries, we cannot hope to make headway in crucial areas." Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of undergraduate students; general readers; professionals. M. H. Lesser emeritus, Lenoir-Rhyne University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Gneezy and List, economists at U.C. San Diego and the University of Chicago, respectively, specialize in ingenious "field experiments" that elucidate the workings of social psychology and decision making: from a ball-tossing game that exposes the social pressures that make women shy away from competition, to role-playing skits that tease out the subtleties of discrimination at car dealerships. There are some less-groundbreaking findings-men, it seems, give more money to door-to-door fundraisers if they are attractive females-but also many counterintuitive insights: it's possible to boost sales of a wine by raising its price; increase charitable giving by letting prospects opt out of solicitations; and even raise profits by letting customers pay whatever they want for a product. Writing in the Freakonomics vein of breezy pop-econ (Steven Levitt provides the foreword), Gneezy and List assert that "self-interest lies at the root of human motivation," but it's a self-interest broadly conceived to include the "warm glow" of philanthropic sacrifice and readily influenced by the unobtrusive policy nudges they suggest. The authors' lucid, engaging exposition of thought-provoking research spotlights some of our more perverse promptings-and their underlying logic. Photos. Agent: Levine Greenberg Literary Agency. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Gneezy (economics & strategy, Rady Sch. of Management, Univ. of California-San Diego) and List (economics, Univ. of Chicago) here brilliantly meld social psychology with economics in an attempt to understand human behavior. The authors develop and conduct field experiments to study people in their natural environments and use the results to identify ways to address difficult problems such as the gap between rich and poor students, violence in schools, and gender differences in competition. Their unique approach, with its emphasis on field research, demonstrates effective incentives to solve these and other problems and change the outcomes. Other areas investigated include why people discriminate, how to best price products and services, and new ways to look at philanthropic fundraising. Their ideas, based on serious research, are presented in a straightforward and entertaining way. Eric Martin's well-paced delivery finds the right balance between the serious problems and entertaining anecdotes. Verdict Buy for public libraries and fans of Freakonomics.-Cynthia Jensen, Gladys Harrington Lib., Plano, TX (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
More fun, Freakonomics-style stories about why people do the things they do. In this debut, Gneezy (Behavioral Economics/Univ. of California, San Diego) and List (Economics/Univ. of Chicago) draw on 20 years of pioneering field research to explain human motivations. Conducting randomized experiments that examine people's behavior in the real world, they have explored "the real underbelly of human motivation" behind problems in such areas as education, discrimination and gender equity. Their informative stories about the behavior of people in real-life situations discuss their fascinating discoveries: Most modern-day discrimination stems from people or companies trying to increase their profits. Women earn less because of deeply held cultural worldviews. Financial incentives help underachieving school kids get higher grades. Donors give money mainly to feel good about themselves. In sum, write the authors, "self-interest lies at the root of human motivation--not necessarily selfishness, but self-interest." Once one understands what people value (money, relationships, praise, etc.), it should be possible to help close the achievement gap in schools, get donors to give more money, and so on, by designing incentives that work to change behavior. Gneezy and List offer illuminating discussions on many topics, from the differences between animus-based and economic discrimination to how women can grow up to be more competitive and close the gender gap in the labor market. Their book brims with stories of the Chicago public schools, the matrilineal society of the Khasi tribal people, and the thinking behind charitable appeals to help children with cleft palates, among others. Weak title aside, this book will interest general readers as well as individuals and companies seeking to influence behaviors.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
