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A review by davidr
Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard H. Thaler
4.0
This book is by Richard Thaler, one of the founders of the field of behavioral economics. When he first started getting into this field, he faced mountainous obstacles, mostly from his fellow economists. For many years, he collaborated with Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, who are famous for the book [b:Thinking, Fast and Slow|11468377|Thinking, Fast and Slow|Daniel Kahneman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1317793965s/11468377.jpg|16402639]. In 2017, Thaler received the Nobel Prize in economics, for his work in understanding the realities of economic decision making.
This book is enjoyable and engaging, and is packed with interesting anecdotes. Perhaps he goes a little overboard, in describing his personal story and his interactions with Kahneman and Tversky; there is a little bit too much of this, and it almost feels like name-dropping. The book is mostly about the development and history of behavioral economics, rather than the subject of behavioral economics itself. On the other hand, I also very much enjoyed reading one of his previous books, [b:Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness|3450744|Nudge Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness|Richard H. Thaler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348322381s/3450744.jpg|2535409].
This book is enjoyable and engaging, and is packed with interesting anecdotes. Perhaps he goes a little overboard, in describing his personal story and his interactions with Kahneman and Tversky; there is a little bit too much of this, and it almost feels like name-dropping. The book is mostly about the development and history of behavioral economics, rather than the subject of behavioral economics itself. On the other hand, I also very much enjoyed reading one of his previous books, [b:Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness|3450744|Nudge Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness|Richard H. Thaler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348322381s/3450744.jpg|2535409].