The Why Axis

Hidden Motives and the Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life

By: Uri Gneezy, John A. List

Narrated by: Eric Martin

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Uri Gneezy and John List are like the anthropologists who spend months in the field studying the people in their native habitats. But in their case they embed themselves in our messy world to try and solve big, difficult problems, such as the gap between rich and poor students and the violence plaguing inner city schools; the real reasons people discriminate; whether women are really less competitive than men; and how to correctly price products and services.

Their field experiments show how economic incentives can change outcomes. Their results will change the way we both think about and take action on big and little problems, and force us to rely no longer on assumptions, but upon the evidence of what really works.

©2013 Uri Gneezy and John List; preface copyright Steven D. Levitt (P)2013 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"The authors' lucid, engaging exposition of thought-provoking research spotlights some of our more perverse promptings - and their underlying logic." ( Publishers Weekly)

"It is hard to imagine any story of innovation in our thinking about economics that does not involve Uri and John. Both in their independent work and in their joint projects, they have expanded and looked at the sensitive underbelly of economics. I can't think of a book that I'm looking forward to more than this one." (Prof. Dan Ariely, Professor of Behavioral Economics, Duke University; author, Predictably Irrational)

"John List and Uri Gneezy are among the foremost behavioral economists in the world. Their ideas have been groundbreaking, and their research has been widely read and hugely influential. I'll be eager to read any book they produce." (Prof. Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University; author of Stumbling on Happiness)

"John List and Uri Gneezy have done the pioneering economic work on whether gender differences are innate or the result of social pressures. They are two of America's leading young economists and their work is followed with great interest." (Prof. Tyler Cowen, George Mason University; author, The Economic Scene)

"John List and Uri Gneezy are leaders in the area of experimental and behavioral economics and rising stars of the profession. Their work bridges the gap between the lab and the field and enables us to learn how economic agents make real decisions in controlled environments and as the economic stakes change. A book bringing their distinctive perspectives and styles has the potential of being a real home run." (Prof. Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics, M.I.T.; coauthor of Why Nations Fail)

"Gneezy and List are two of the most brilliant and interesting economists in the world. Their work is simultaneously scientifically path breaking and accessible to the general public. They've studied prosaic markets like baseball card conventions, daycare centers, and auto-repair shops, but their ideas are so deep that Gneezy and List reveal that these mundane markets turn out to hold the secrets of human motivation and human behavior. Their work has revolutionized all of social science. I can't wait to read a book that they write." (Prof. David Laibson, Professor of Economics, Harvard University)

"John List's work in field experiments is revolutionary." (Prof. Gary Becker, University of Chicago, Nobel Laureate in Economics)

Really enjoyed understanding the why

Why did I like this book? Showed some great causality analysis. I did not like the repetitive nature and that 4 chapters were really about the same topic. Loved the concepts and the moral of the story. Recommend.

Intriguing ideas

Interesting perspective. It's actually inspiring to see economists do some really great work out there.

Some Interesting Insights But Poor Science

Guy reading it has a beautiful deep voice but makes it sound like it's a murder mystery. I'm able to forget this shortly after starting a session of listening.

Has some interesting insights, especially in the beginning. I especially enjoyed seeing how adding monetary incentive can backfire.

However, they jump to lots of conclusions and assume correlation equals causation without considering possible other reasons. For example, they did not consider that the reason women don't improve in competitive environments versus merit-based environments because they were already doing their best. Or the value of winning was not worth straining, and this could be caused by differences in the effects of straining in women vs. men.

It also used their small studies to make a grand sweeping statement that the world would be better off with women ruling, rather than exploring what cultural influences could cause a man to be equally good or better than they saw.

I don't regret my time, and I will finish the last fourth of it, but it's got some discouraging scientific holes in some areas.

Listener

The delivery was clear, but a bit dry and I found it difficult to stay engaged. The meat of the work was still valuable and worth the purchase.

Painful to listen to Dreamscapes narration

Ouch! this material deserves a real narrator. Narration was wooden and numbing. As the chapters and material increased, my ability to listen shriveled. I won't try another Dreamscapes narration, ever.

Insightful

Beautifully written book that is very easy to follow. I learned so much about how field experiments can answer the hardest questions in society and even how I can apply them to my everyday life. Economics is all around us and can be studied in different ways as well.

Bit outdated

Seemed like I've heard it all before, also curious for a follow up to where things are now.

Awfully Politically Motivated

It has some great content, but a very large portion of the book is politically motivated. I do not recommend the book.

Terrible performance

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I really like the content of the book and thought the authors did a good job explaining their research topics in a conversational tone. The narrator, however, performs in such a monotonic tone that it makes me question whether the book was being read by a robot more than a few times in the book. How hard would it be to read a research-based book using normal conversational tone?!