SuperFreakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance (2009), the follow-up sequel to Steven Dubner and Stephen J. Levitt’s bestseller Freakonomics, continues their domination of the popular economics genre. This subgenre of nonfiction blends data analysis with storytelling in order to explore human behavior and societal issues.  

Levitt, a University of Chicago economist, is known for employing unconventional research methods, and in this text, his expertise is combined with Dubner’s background in narrative journalism to create a presentation that seeks to tackle complex topics with wit and clarity. Published in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and amid growing awareness of climate change, the book situates itself in a historical moment defined by economic uncertainty and global challenges. 

This guide refers to the 2011 First Harper Perennial paperback edition.

Content Warning: SuperFreakonomics includes discussions of sensitive topics such as sex work, suicide bombings, maternal mortality, climate disaster, and public health crises.

Language Note: While the outdated terms “prostitution” and “prostitute” are used throughout the source text, these terms are now widely considered to be derogatory. For this reason, the guide uses the neutral terms “sex work” and “sex workers,” with the exception of direct quotations from the source text.

Summary

SuperFreakonomics expands on the themes of its predecessor by applying economic principles to unconventional subjects and presenting data-driven insights into human behavior. Organized into five chapters, the book covers topics ranging from crime prevention and sex work to climate change and altruism, always seeking to uncover the hidden incentives that drive decisions and the unintended consequences of policies. Levitt and Dubner argue that seemingly irrational actions often make sense when viewed through the lens of incentives. The authors examine the economics of sex work, highlighting the fact that high-end sex workers can command substantial earnings by capitalizing on demand for discretion and exclusivity. Their aim is to challenge societal stereotypes about sex work and demonstrate that market forces operate even in taboo sectors.

The authors then argue the importance of using evidence rather than intuition or moral judgment to identify solutions. They the move on to address overlooked causes of societal problems. They use the example of childbed fever in the 19th century, when Ignaz Semmelweis’s data-driven approach to handwashing revolutionized public health. Similarly, they mention the issue of methane emissions from cows and reframe the conversation around climate change, arguing that dietary changes could be more effective in reducing greenhouse gases than adopting hybrid cars would be. 

Levitt and Dubner then stress the need for pragmatic, data-informed policies that align incentives with desired outcomes, arguing that many policies that ignore human behavior have unintended consequences. They assert that environmental regulations like the Endangered Species Act sometimes incentivize landowners to destroy habitats in order to avoid restrictions. Similarly, they highlight the Americans with Disabilities Act’s unintended effect of discouraging employers from hiring disabled workers due to legal concerns. They conclude by stressing the need for pragmatic, data-informed policies that align incentives with desired outcomes.

When advocating for the application of unconventional solutions to global challenges, the authors suggest using bold, creative approaches such as geoengineering to combat climate change. Inspired by the cooling effects of Mount Pinatubo’s volcanic eruption, they discuss injecting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere as a low-cost way to reduce global temperatures. While acknowledging the risks and controversies of such interventions, Levitt and Dubner argue that technological innovation is often more effective than expecting widespread behavioral change.