The Economic Naturalist's Field Guide

Common Sense Principles for Troubled Times

By: Robert Frank

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

How do people actually behave when confronted with economic choices? And remember, almost every choice we make is economic. While our desires are boundless, our resources are limited and tradeoffs confront us at every turn. Arguing that self-interest alone cannot explain the choices we make, Robert H. Frank, a leading proponent of the emerging field of behavioral economics, suggests that context shapes every decision and that consistent human foibles matter, no matter how much economists wish to ignore them. With wit, style, and insight, Frank turns his gimlet eye to large-scale policy decisions about regulation, tax policy, and health care, and to our personal decisions about paying for food and gasoline and even to how we choose to love. In our current anxious economic climate, The Economic Naturalist's Field Guide's fascinating and revealing insights have more bearing on our pocketbooks, policies, and personal happiness than ever.

©2007 Robert H. Frank (P)2009 Tantor

Clarity and insight

Robert Frank writes with clarity and insight about all aspects of our economy, including risk, consumer spending, taxes, wealth, and healthcare reform. Some of Robert Frank's most fascinating analyses concerns consumer spending and the effect of relative income. He explains in simple, non-economic terms why people are incurring excessive debt to buy luxury vehicles and oversized homes. Anyone interested in understanding our economy as well as whether legislative proposals are effective in acheiving the desired result will find this book to be highly enjoyable and educational.

Interesting but best in small doses

The essays are interesting, but repetitive. This book works best in short bursts rather than a long drive or commute.

novel concepts and ideas for a troubled times.

pros:
novel ideas, with concrete examples,
great explanation of some key economic concepts.
well crafted narration with analogies and stories to solidify the concepts.

how to improve:
its very clearly left focused, a little less political bias would make for a more centrist adoption of the ideas.
many of the ideas are far removed from what is practical to implement without a serious shift in ideology which makes this more of an academic discussion rather than a how-to.

Summary:
its an important read, but I think most people already agree that the academics already favor many of the concepts, the key is how do we get this message across to the rest of the population so that we can move forward in this country.