When to Rob a Bank

Why do educated women get fewer responses on online dating websites? Is buying local food economically efficient? Does bribing kids improve their performance on school tests?

Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, the quirky geniuses behind Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics and Think Like a Freak, are back at it. For the last ten years, they've used the tools of economics to answer some of our most unanswerable questions on the Freakonomics.com blog. Here, for the first time, the very best of their more than 8,000 posts are together in a single place. We learn why it's so hard to predict the Kentucky Derby, why babies born in summer tend to score lower on standardized tests, and why rich people tend to be happier than poor people, but rich countries no happier than poor ones. Hurray for High Gas Prices showcases the brilliance that has made Levitt and Dubner an international sensation, and the eloquence and wit that has always made them such a joy to read.