Levitt, Steven D. & Stephen J. Dubner (2005) Freakonomics New York: William Morrow Publisher

They mention it briefly, but this is another example of chaos economics. Levitt is the academic and Dubner the social science writer. The second makes this book readable and exciting. What makes it chaos economics is that mainly mainstream explanations don’t hold up when butterflies (unintended and what appears to be tangential events) trigger change.

As an example crime was reduced by more police and more prisons. That is straightforward linear thinking, but it was dramatically reduced when poor young single minority women had abortions. This type family is the cradle of crime. The kids were killed or the fetuses disappeared. Crime went down. Abortion was not thought to be a crime prevention or reduction strategy.

The Ku Klux Klan suffered membership loss when the FBI invaded and undermined the organization. That is conventional wisdom. However, an infiltrator was able to get the radio show SUPERMAN to use the password, hand shakes and other KKK secrets on to the program to belittle and marginalize the Klan. Kids start wearing sheets and using KKK secrets and the group lost members. This is another unintended but viable explanation for the reduction of lynching and KKK membership.

Why do drug dealers live with their moms? You didn’t know that? This again is a chaos economic event. The drug dealers who are the top of the pyramid drive limos and have big showy and narcissistic lifestyles. However the corner drug dealer makes less than minimum wage and is most likely to lose his life. So why do they do what they do? They hope someday to rise to the top and make the big bucks. Their chances of being killed are better than upward mobility.

What makes a perfect parent? The conventional wisdom says that kids who are taken to museums and have strong preschool program make the best kid. First, much of the work is already done when a couple conceives. They bring not only their genes, but those of dead ancestors from long ago. Parents can generally be warm, firm, and consistent, but the rest after school first starts is the peer group. Kids learn more about values from friends than from school and home, particularly after middle school. By choosing the right neighborhood, one’s child may face very supportive or destructive kids. In other words, peers matter as much as parents. That is a butterfly.

Does a Black name matter? It matters if it comes from the cradle of crime single mothers that are poor and minority. That is also the group most like to identify with the Black community. Their children are most likely to be less dependable. Thus, the name makes a difference only indirectly. Do I hear the flapping of chaos butterflies?

The book is an excellent read for educated readers, professionals and academics. It is also a best seller as listed in BUSINESS WEEK most purchased books.

Prof. Joel Snell
Kirkwood College