Sex, Drugs and Economics: An Unconventional Intro to Economics [Paperback]

Diane Coyle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 2004

A refreshing look at economics with topics ranging from sex, drugs, arms and music to energy, movies and farming, the Internet and Aids, Diane Coyle plunges herself and the reader into some of the world’s most contentious political and social issues. Diane Coyle shows how economic principles apply to headline issues in an entertaining, humane and highly intelligent way. Harvard-educated Coyle is an economist and award-winning writer specializing in business, technology and global economics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a highly engaging and remarkably literate survey of economics in practice by the new doyenne of popular business economics....Dr. Coyle has a rare talent for making esoteric theories come alive while staying true to the fundamentals of economic science."

About the Author

Diane Coyle is a consultant and columnist for The Independent. After getting her Ph.D. from Harvard, she spent a year at the U.S. Treasury. She worked in the private sector and is an economist and a writer specializing in business, technology, and global economics. She was the Economics Editor for The Independent for eight years and in 2000 was the winner of the prestigious Wincott Award for Senior Financial Journalist. She is currently Managing Director of Enlightenment Economics, a consultancy, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the London School of Economics' Center for Economic Performance. Diane has written three other books: Paradoxes of Prosperity, The Weightless World and Governing the World Economy. She lives in London with her family

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Texere; 1 edition (March 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587991829
• ISBN-13: 978-1587991820
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars serviceable, October 20, 2006

By 

Caraculiambro (La Mancha and environs) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sex, Drugs and Economics: An Unconventional Intro to Economics (Paperback)

This is a very solid, serviceable, non-technical introduction to some of the more popular principles of macro- and microeconomics, designed for the general reader. There are no graphs, and no math required.

The subject matter is frequently surprising and Coyle's writing style is engaging.

Each chapter tackles a different subject: infrasructure, inflation, defense spending, etc., and throughout each chapter, critical terms such as "liquidity trap," "rational expecatations," "human capital," etc. are boldfaced and defined in the back of the book.

Meaning that, despite is salacious title, the book would serve nicely as ancillary reading for a basic survey class on economics -- something to breathe a little life into those charts and graphs.

I should warn you about two things:

1. The title is misleading, at best. Presumably this was a directive on the part of the publisher, in a bid to sell more copies? The title seems to promise all sorts of lurid delights inside, but such aren't really delivered on. The closest you come is chapter 1, which analyzes the economic motives behind the prostitution industry, and chapter 2, which does likewise for the illegal drug trade. The overwhelming remainder of the book is quite mainstream and non-controversial.

2. The woman writing this is British, so most of her examples (about monopolies, laws, failed companies, etc.) come from United Kingdom examples that North American readers might not be familiar with.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for the rest of us, July 8, 2006

By 

J. Brown (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sex, Drugs and Economics: An Unconventional Intro to Economics (Paperback)

Coyle's book offers a realistic look of how econ works. It's a great read to see how many of the popular government programs are in fact pork barrelling and not, in fact, in the best interest of society. I find the info contained in the novel useful and valid and the utilization of common themes (i.e. farm subsidies, national defence, sports teams, etc) help the reader understand.

5.0 out of 5 stars exactly what it claims to be, October 21, 2005

By 

A. Brown (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sex, Drugs and Economics: An Unconventional Intro to Economics (Paperback)

While it isn't the most fascinating book I've ever read, this lives up to its title. It is an unusual, but very effective, introduction to basic economic concepts for people who would rather die than crack open an economics textbook. The choice of real-world examples and the generally humorous tone make the learning painless. I skimmed the glossary before I started and was intimidated by the quantity and complexity of some of the terms that were used, but by the time I had finished reading the book and took another look at the glossary, I found I was comfortable with the terms and concepts. Highly recommended.