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Zusatztext "Peter Leeson's WTF?! An Economic Tour of the Weird is a brilliant and witty expedition into some of history's most unusual social institutions.... WTF?! is a rare and wonderful contribution to social science. It shows us the power of parsimonious thinking. It demonstrates the value of bringing rich, historical knowledge to the foreground. It is lively and accessible, and by the end of the book, readers will have learned much about social institutions, and more generally, how to analyze them. Highly recommended." Informationen zum Autor Peter T. Leeson is the Duncan Black Professor of Economics and Law at George Mason University. He is the author of the award-winning The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates (2009) and Anarchy Unbound: Why Self-Governance Works Better Than You Think (2014). He can be reached via his website peterleeson.com. Klappentext Step right up! Get your tickets for WTF?! An Economic Tour of the Weird! That's right! This rollicking interactive tour through the museum of social oddities is guaranteed to house the world's weirdest practices--sure to make you say "WTF?!" Did you know that "pre-owned" wives were sold at auction in early modern Britain? Or that accused criminals in Liberia drink poison to determine their fate? How about the fact that, for 250 years, Italy criminally prosecuted cockroaches and crickets? Do you wonder why? Then this tour is just for you!Join WTF?!'s cast of colorful characters to navigate the museum with guide and economist Peter T. Leeson. As you wander from exhibit to exhibit and overhear Leeson's riotous exchanges with the patrons, you'll learn how economic thinking reveals the hidden sense behind seemingly senseless human behavior. Leeson demonstrates that far from "irrational" or "accidents of history," humanity's most outlandish rituals are ingenious solutions to pressing problems--developed by clever people, driven by incentives, and tailor-made for their time and place. As the tour teaches: what varies isn't people, but the environments and constraints within which they operate. Along the way, you'll learn how to use an economic lens to uncover the logic behind any weirdness you encounter in your own life. Can you handle getting schooled by the strange? Better hurry, the tour is about to start! Zusammenfassung WTF?! is an interactive tour of the world's weirdest social practices that uses economic thinking to reveal the solid logic behind their seeming senselessness. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1. Your Favorite Acronym 2. Burn, Baby, Burn 3. FSBO: Like-New, Preowned Wife 4. Public Uses for Private Parts 5. God Damn 6. Chicken, Please; Hold the Poison 7. Jiminy Cricket's Journey to Hell 8. Fighting Solves Everything ...
