Courtesy of Harpercollins

Alumni Connections

Freakonomics Pushes Boundaries of Economics

  • March/April 2008
  • By MIT News Staff

Steven Levitt, PhD '94, a professor at the University of Chicago, broadened the role of economics with his studies of topics such as criminal behavior, collusion in professional sports, and the impact of economic issues in politics. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, which he coauthored with journalist Stephen ­Dubner, has been on best-seller lists for two years. The book proposes that knowing what to measure and how to measure it is central to understanding contemporary life. Levitt has been named the most influential young U.S. economist and is among Time's "100 People Who Shape Our World." At a talk hosted by the Undergraduate Economics Association last year, Levitt described his work on the role of altruism in economic interactions and on the economics of gangs.

Print

To comment, please sign in or register

Forgot my password

Advertisement

MAGAZINE

Can We Build Tomorrow's Breakthroughs?

Manufacturing in the United States is in trouble. That's bad news not just for the country's economy but for the future of innovation.

Videos

Meet 2011 TR35 Winner Jesse Robbins

More

Advertisement

Technology Review Lists

TR50

Our list of the 50 most innovative companies, including the following:

Ushahidi

Life Technologies

Crowdcast

Amazon.com

More

Advertisement
Advertisement