November 17, 2005

Freakonomics

I don't usually read nonfiction bestsellers, but if you enjoy Malcolm Gladwell's writing, as I do and do and do, I think you'll like this book written by Steven D. Levitt, the economist, with the help of journalist Stephen J. Dubner.

Freakonomics has received the most attention for two chapters: one that posits that the reduction in crime rates in the past few decades can be, in large part, traced to the legalization of abortion; and another that argues that it is much more dangerous to send your child to a home with a swimming pool than to a house of a gun-owner.

My favorite chapter, though, is about parenting. Using freely available data, Levitt argues, with great success, that within reasonable bounds, the style of parenting doesn't affect a kid's achievement much. The parents' background and genetics is far more important than how they micromanage their children. For example, there is a correlation between how many books are in a house and the achievement of the children; but no correlation between kids' achievement and whether or not the parents read those books to their kids. The chapter will also be of some comfort to parents who work away from the home.

Levitt also is clear to differentiate between correlation and causality in these statistics. Economists must always make this distinction, but too often journalists do not. The prose isn't up to Gladwell's level (although Gladwell's blurb, "Prepare to be dazzled," adorns the front cover), but Freakonomics is a fun, breezy read.