The world has witnessed various events that have ultimately shaped the development pattern and power control over entire nations. There are discussions on the current political, economic and social happenings occurring in the world over. However, no other scholars or analysts have been able to summarise these occurrences, offer clear insights and different theoretical views on the events of today, as seen in the book “ Superfreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance”, authored by Stevin D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. In this paper, a brief summary of two of the chapters presented in the book is discussed, and an analytical investigation of the various themes present within the book discussed. In understanding these themes, Chapter 2 and chapter four of the book are discussed.
Chapter 2: Summary and Analysis
Chapter two of the book is titled Why Should Suicide Bombers Buy Life Insurance? The authors, in this chapter, discuss the various aspects that are presented by life and death, However, they present their points and visions to the point of death and not that of life. The chapter is a discussion of the various influences and conditions that may ultimately affect the health and lifespan of an individual (Levitt & Dubner, 2011). The discussion spans from the analysis of the effects of various patterns that have been occurring in different periods of time across history. Utilizing the research conducted by economists such as Douglas Almond, Alan Krueger, and Bhashkar Mazumder, the scholars provide a definitive pattern linking health to various circumstances that occurred thus affecting a particular group of individuals, or animals. These patterns given include such events as, Ramadan where mothers carrying babies are affected by the events of fasting; being born in a specific month and belonging in a specific age group; patterns between the personalities and characteristics of people belonging to, or raised by similar families. Similarly, the chapter also issues a detailed explanation of the patterns that evolve where there is a natural disaster that has occurred. It delves deeper into the occurrence and offers clear statistics on the successes of these events through the after-effects they have in the country. A sound example issued is terrorism through the September 11 attacks. From the illustrations provided, the study continues to offer insights into the effects these events have on government institutions and other organizations and the various solution that can be implemented in order to solve these problems. A major area that is discussed in this section of the study is hospitals and the responses to ailing patients (Levitt & Dubner, 2011).
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In this chapter, there are various themes that are discussed. The first is the theme of abstractions. McKenie and Tullock (2012), discuss the theme of thinking in abstractions for economists. In this sense, they explain the theme as a situation whereby a person has to make the conscious decision to reduce various relationships in order to make sense and treat a given situation. From the book, this type of thinking that has been developed by economists is a way through which they can be able to understand the greater world through limiting of information and increasing their understanding (McKenzie & Tullock, 2012). This phenomenon is also observed in hospitals. The chapter discusses the many issues that doctors have, amongst them is thinking in abstractions. When patients are brought into the Emergency room, they are unable to narrow down the vast problems that the patients may be suffering from, unless they are given a bit of information. However, they confess that even with this information, it is very difficult to ascertain the exact causes of disease or injury and must function as with little information. They are forced to think and act in abstraction where they are unable to understand a situation fully but expected to handle it (Levitt & Dubner, 2011).
Similarly, the chapter also discusses the link between the utility of cost and what it means to various people in the society (McKenzie & Tullock, 2012). Offering a clear indication of the various events that may spur different reactions, there is a truth to what is discussed in this chapter. Utilizing the example of rich children whom may have spent a lot of money on healthcare at the end of the year than at the beginning of the year for their parents who fell ill, the link discussed gives potential reasons as to the anticipated behaviours of various individuals during various times within the year, linked to the month to which they were born and the type of family they have been raised in. Through their expenditures and how they utilize funds, the study provided that a pattern can be derived to help in identifying people with any intention of wrongdoing or other purposes.
A major lesson that was taught in this chapter is that there is a pattern that links the ultimate acts of individuals, be it in the public, private, governmental or anti-governmental organizations. There is a link between every theme and course of action as depicted in the lives of various individuals. For instance, how to utilize funds, the values and principles that guide the actions of a person, the target market or industry one is prone to be attracted to in their industry of choice and many other factors. The chapter, through the analysis of the underlying patterns, reveals how each of these aspects is linked together to give a result that can be predicted where suitable technology is employed.
Chapter 4: Summary and Analysis
The fourth chapter of the book is titled “ The Fix is in, and it’s cheap and Simple.” The chapter discusses on the effects and occurrences that have continually led to the analogy that there are situations where a regulation or law or event may be passed or conducted in order to help the different individual, but ultimately ends up hurting those particular individuals. The chapter discusses various scenarios in which the law of unintended consequences was observed, starting from hospitals, government regulations and laws, and other areas of the society. However, even with the presence of these occurrences that would end up unintentionally hurting the people they were meant to protect, the resulting conclusion was that the solution offered in such instances was simple and cheap. It was not a solution that would take up too much of any resource (Levitt & Dubner, 2011). An instance, using the example of birthing mothers and their ultimate demise due to unintended transmission of puerperal fever is given. Also, the utilization of the forceps as a method to turn the baby around while they were in the uterus is another example of a solution that was cheap and effective and the use of vaccines. The agricultural revolution is provided as another simple and cheap method that ultimately addressed the rate of population growth and increased agricultural yield. There are various examples of simple and cheap fixes that can be utilized in solving unintended consequences (Levitt & Dubner, 2011).
From this chapter, the first theme that is evidently discussed is the theme of cost as discussed by McKenzie and Tullock (2012). The two authors (i.e., Mckenzie and Tullock) suggested that a good economist takes account of the cost of their solutions or actions. This chapter mainly concentrates on the various solutions that can be offered to problems. These solutions are not credited due to their high effectiveness in solving the problem but are credited due to the costs they are able to save in solving the problem (McKenzie & Tullock, 2012). For any economists, it is important to ensure that any solution they are enacting to a problem is simple and cheap. Simple solutions have proven to be the most effective methods and ultimately yield better results and successes than expensive solutions (Levitt & Dubner, 2011). An instance is the use of a vaccine to prevent a disease that could ultimately be fatal. Similarly, the chapter also discusses the theme of thinking about markets. In the chapter, the discussion of simple solutions is a discussion that shows the utility of these solutions is massive. There are a lot of people who depend on these simple solutions in order to go through their daily lives, hence they have a large market base. An economist in implementing any solution has to keep their market in mind.
The second theme that is discussed is values. McKenzie and Tullock (2012) explained that it is important for an economist to treat each situation without placing concentration or concern on the way people are behaving, or why they are behaving in that manner. They stated that for an economist, it is more important that a person be devoid of their own values when analyzing any situation and act with simple understanding (McKenzie & Tullock, 2012). In the chapter, this is evident where the two authors are discussing on the persons who were able to deliver solutions to various problems. These individuals, both in the second and fourth chapters were able to rid themselves of their values (not completely, however) and try to understand their situations as much as possible. Their drive was not in the fame or the need to ensure they are upholding their ethical and moral values, but rather, to understand the situation and provide a solution. The chapter identified that the services of any individual are to be treated similarly without prior judgment. It is in this treatment of services or delivery of services that one is able to give adequate responses, and make strides in their learning and development process than at any other situation.
References
Levitt, S. D., & Dubner, S. J. (2011). Superfreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance . Canada: HarperCollins Canada.
McKenzie, R. B., & Tullock, G. (2012). The new world of economics: a remake of a classic for new generations of economics students (6. ed). Berlin: Springer.
