Book Review: Superfreakonomics

"Witty, whimsical, weird and wonderful. Levitt and Dubner have done it again."

Sequel to the 2005 bestseller, Freakonomics, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner return to satisfy our cravings for all things strange and unusual. Their latest work Superfrekonomics promises to be bigger, better and more boisterous than its predecessor. Upon flicking immediately to the contents page though, you will already see that they have already failed on one aspect. It is shorter.
With only five chapters instead of six, and fewer pages, Superfreakonomics seems to offer less value for money. But fear not, for the topics discussed are more relevant, important and serious than those discussed in their original works.

Be it the examination of the economics of prostitution in Chicago, the many disadvantages that apply to being female or the solution to global warming - Superfreakonomics has enough in its repertoire to appeal, satisfy and delight many fans and newcomers. Yet it isn't the themes that are the star of the show, but the explanations for them. They veer from the sublime to the ridiculous - at times, offering unique and original conclusions on how best to tackle a problem. For instance, who would've thought that drink-walking is more dangerous than drink-driving?
Indeed the book tries its best to steer away from the conventional ways of thinking providing reasons for why the solutions to a given problem, such as lowering the death toll in hospitals or reducing the power of hurricanes, can be both cheap and effective.
The most compelling argument in the book though would have to be global warming. An issue which affects everyone and one which has left many scientists scratching their heads at for several decades. Whilst the book argues that the effects of global warming have been greatly exaggerated, it does to its credit, offers up a few possibilities towards solving it. This would involve geoengineering - widespread manipulation of the Earth's climate. What follows is intriguing to say the least, but does leave many to question the implications of such a project.

It is perhaps these sections which should be the books strong point - presenting a greatly contested view on how best to solve a problem. In fact, rather than encourage, the authors implore us to challenge their conclusions. And of course this has led many to take heed, with some going as far as to label the methods and practices used to be associated with 'amateur sociology'.
But overall, the authors fail to fulfill this criteria for public discussion because the tone of the book carries an arrogant swagger to it, which seems irksome when one is attempting to debate a different view on a situation.

On the other hand, you can't fault the humour employed in the opening chapters. There are moments which instigates you to laugh uproariously at the word choice, the sheer audacity of some statements and the unenviable positions some found themselves under. To think that the WHO issued condoms weren't 'optimized' [sic] for Indian men would make even the most hardened killjoy chuckle. Or perhaps that's just my immature self saying that.
Which makes it even more disappointing to see that this humour couldn't be translated in the central stages. Yet this could owe more to the appropriateness of placing humour in serious passages than to a lack of ability to.

The arrangement of overarching topics and themes arranged in separate chapters allows the book to be read in relatively short bursts - one chapter at a time, enabling a greater accessibility to it. Thus allowing many readers to pick up and read the book. This also means that if a certain chapter doesn't take your fancy, then you can happily skip it and move onto a more interesting one, safe in the knowledge that you didn't miss anything that would be of particular interest.

What Superfreakonomics does best though is offer readers a enjoyable and delightful experience. It has mass appeal, through the humour employed, the accessible chapters, the relevant topics and the unique insights. It makes economics universal and allows us to acknowledge and grasp the fact that there is more to economics than money, finance and the economy. And if that isn't enough to whet your appetite, then how about this to ignite your interest; the first lab recorded instant of spontaneous monkey prostitution!

4/5