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From the Book Jacket:
With his witty and instructive book The Armchair
Economist, Steven Landsburg won popularity and
acclaim by using economics to illuminate the mysteries
of daily life, and using daily life to illuminate the
mysteries of economics.
Now Landsburg returns to address fundamental issues
like fairness, tolerance, morality and justice---issues
that are as important on the playground as they are in
the marketplace. With the help of his daughter Cayley,
he contrasts the wisdom of parents with the wisdom of
economists---not always to the credit of the latter.
How should we feel about taxes that redistribute
income? Ask how parents feel about children who
forcibly "redistribute" other children's toys. How
should we respond to those who complain that their
neighbors are too wealthy? Ask how parents respond
when children complain that their siblings got too much
cake. By insisting that fairness can't mean one thing
for children and another for adults, Landsburg shows
that the instincts of the parent have profound
consequences for economic justice.
Along the way, Landsburg---with his customary sharp wit
and challenging logic---pauses to reflect on an
astonishing variety of issues in economic theory, the
philosophy of parenting, the true nature of family
values, and how to get the most out of life. He uses
parent-child interactions to explain the economics of
free trade and immigration, progressive taxation,
minimum wages, racial discrimination, and the role of
money. He makes the best possible philosophical cases
for and against progressive taxation, and weighs them
against the wisdom of the playground. He explains how
parents divide their estates among their children, and
draws deep lessons about what parents really value. He
explains why children are a good thing, and how
economic theory tells us we ought to have more of them. He
meditates on the role of authority in our lives, the
effects of cultural bias, the state of elementary
education, why it's important to read poetry to your
children, and how to get the most out of life.
Fair Play instructs, uplifts, and entertains
while reminding us that parents and children have a lot
to teach one another.
Steven E. Landsburg writes the popular "Everyday
Economics" column in Slate magazine. He has also
written a series of columns for Forbes magazine and two
economics textbooks. He is a
professor of economics at
the University of Rochester in Rochester,
New York.
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