Of Economics

Have I ever mentioned that I love economics? Well, I do. Economics and British humor. I find them both immensely fascinating. I love how logical economics is, and I love how snide British humor is.

I have read two interesting books lately on economics that have been recommended to me- well, correction, I am currently in the midst of one of the two. Predictably Irrational is the first one (VERY interesting, although for those of you with delicate sensibilities, be warned about chapter four-- it will give you some good ideas on how to more effectively teach about sex to teenagers and young adults, though!), and Naked Economics is the one I am currently reading. It talks about some very interesting issues. For example, why requiring car seats for infants on planes is a bad idea (because of the extra expense of an extra seat, more people will opt to drive, thus increasing their liklihood of dying more then ten fold over what it would have been had they flown), why eliminating "drive-by births"--where mothers are in and out of a hospital in a day-- is a bad idea (it results in higher insurance costs, which makes it so those on the margin can no longer afford health insurance), why we should keep sweatshops in third world countries (those working there typically earn double the normal wage for the area, and until we provide a better alternative, that is how they feed their families), and a host of other fascinating tidbits to consider. So interesting.