Robert Frank: The Economic Naturalist

Robert Frank talks about his new book, The Economic Naturalist: In Search of Explanations for Everyday Enigmas, in this excellent hour-long podcast interview with Russ Roberts.

The book, described by Steven Pinker as "fascinating, mind-expanding, and lots of fun," argues that the traditional way of teaching economics via graphs and equations often fails to make any impression on students. He outlines an alternative approach, where students find interesting enigmas from everyday life, then try to explain them using the economic way of thinking. Some of the most interesting of these, with solutions, are then collected in his book, such as:

* Why are newspapers, but not soft drinks, sold in vending machines that allow customers to take more units than they paid for?

* Why is there a light in your refrigerator but not in your freezer?

* Why do some cars have fuel fillers on the left, and others on the right?

* Why do the keypads of drive-up cash machines have Braille dots?

* Why is milk stored in rectangular cartons, and soft drinks in round cans?

* Why are CD cases smaller than DVD cases when the discs are the same size?

* Why are whales, but not chickens, in danger of extinction?

* Why do 24-hour convenience stores have locks on their doors?

* Why are brown eggs more expensive than white ones, even though the two types taste the same and have identical nutritional value?

related review: Herald Tribune