Economics Why Drug Dealers Still Live With Their Mothers

â€Å"Economics is a science primarily concerned with incentives, it is also one with statistical tools to measure how people respond to those incentives† (Levitt and Dubner, 2005). After reading the book Freakonomics, I more than ever believe that virtually any subject can be picked, and somehow â€Å"fit† into economics. To once again quote Levitt and Dubner, â€Å"economics is explaining how people get what they want or need†. (Levitt and Dubner, 2005). One of the most interesting topics the two authors of Freakonomics, broached in the book was why drug dealers still live with their mothers. The drug they specifically examined was crack cocaine, and data was obtained from a specific gang, which in my opinion, was actually more of a firm/business. To quote our authors once again, â€Å"a crack gang works pretty much like the standard capitalist enterprise: wages are about as skewed as wages in corporate America. Criminals, like everyone else, respond to incentives† (Levitt and Dubner, 2005). This gangs’, or firms’, members all operated based on the incentives that they believed existed. Most of them made very little money, and in fact, probably still lived with their mothers. But the few, â€Å"higher ups†, in the firm were making large amounts of money, and gave those below them incentive to work hard with the intention of becoming one of the â€Å"higher ups† themselves. A gang, has a manager, â€Å"a person that directs resources to achieve a goal† (Baye and Prince, 2014). Just as with the majorityShow MoreRelatedFreakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Stephen Levitt1448 Words   |  6 Pagestake you through some of the highlights of my favorite chapters and some of the more important chapters as well. The interesting thing about the book as a whole is that it does not even seem like you are reading a book that is trying to teach you economics through some outrageous situations. Another intriguing thing about this book is that these authors have such an extensive knowledge of studies that they can pull from any study, even if it has nothing to do with what they are talking about, and theyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Freakonomics By Steven D. Levitt Essay1502 Words   |  7 Pagespeople to do more of a good thing, and less of a bad thing (17).† However, incentives are sometimes able to influence an individual into doing the wrong thing, in order to obtain the incentive. The book states that the top three incentives are: â€Å"economic, social and morals (17).† These incentives cause people to sometimes preform a wrong action, in order to obtain any of these incentives. The authors used the statistics of the school teacher in Chicago to show an example of how people can be influencedRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?890 Words   |  4 PagesThere are people who are criticizing why marijuana should not be legalized and why it’s dangerous to health. 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As a child, it is sad to see your mom work asRead MoreFreakonomics854 Words   |  4 Pagesthoughtful and provocative analysis of human motivation and modern living. It shows you a common world through a totally different pair of lens. The author uses the raw data of economics to ask imaginative questions while it forces the reader to think cleverly and divertingly of the answers. His approach to economics was done in a very unconventional way- as a smart, curious explorer parallel to Christopher Columbus when he discovered the Americas. There is not one common theme in FreakonomicsRead MoreRunning Head : Illegal Immigration1134 Words   |  5 Pages With the exception of Native Americans, everyone living in the U.S. is either an immigrant or the descendent of voluntary or involuntary immigrants. However, some blame every problem this nation faces these days on immigration. Problems such as economic hardships are blamed on immigration because immigrants take all the jobs. Political turmoil and war are on the list as well. What is actually true and what is myth? Illegal Immigration: The Crisis in the United States Illegal immigration in theRead MoreThe American dream, an idea spread throughout the world, that coming to the United States would900 Words   |  4 Pagessure to follow into the conversation bringing the once goal of the United States, known as â€Å"The American Dream† to a terrifying reality. In the novel we see the main character, who has immigrated to America with his family, struggle in his life with drugs, poverty and his father being absent for most of his life. The stories are spilt up into almost random selection of Yuinor’s life. Though, after reading the book, the reader starts to realize that Diaz is painting a bigger picture of immigration this