By John Mueller

I presumed this was once one other e-book alongside the traces of "Freakonomics," "Naked Economics," or "Predictably Irrational," the place the objective was once to show off a slew of counter-intuitive insights from economics and psychology -- the "Economics will be enjoyable" style, in the event you will.

Not so. although I received much out of this e-book, and components of it made me imagine, commonly i'd represent it as stuffy and uncomfortably theoretical.

It's philosophy, quite. it truly is relatively a survey of ways principles -- capitalism and democracy -- were seen through the years. It examines the ways that, to paraphrase the 1st line of the publication, capitalism has gotten a worse rap than it merits, whereas democracy has gotten a greater one than it merits. (At the arms of poets, historians, novelists, politicians, etc.) it really is virtually literary history.

So a lukewarm advice for this one. there have been components that made me imagine, yet now that i feel approximately it, even these components have been particularly the author's quoting an individual else's rules (quite loads of this here), than bobbing up with whatever unique. traditionally, i would say it is a lot much less enjoyable than the groovy conceal and loony identify appear to promise.

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Extra info for Capitalism, democracy, and Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery

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In addition, cutting a deal with a nice guy will usually generate some pleasure and so one might be quite rationally willing to give in a bit more in a deal with a nice guy than in one with a non-nice guy. The casual business phrase, “It’s a pleasure doing business with you,” may not always be sincerely felt, but it does suggest an emotional element that can have real economic benefit to those who supply the pleasure. In result, nice guys, on average, have a competitive advantage over non-nice guys, and accordingly they will tend to prosper.

34 And, of course, such risk-taking behavior will characteristically be successful only if it also benefits others by supplying or helping to supply a product or service people are freely willing to purchase. In war or in conventional adventuring and exploring, risktaking behavior is considered to be heroic. 35 37 CHAPTER 2 The Capitalist Virtues and the Monopolist For the most part, even a monopolist will find it profitable to subscribe to the capitalist virtues. Good employee relations remain important to generate productivity, and deals still need to be made with fellow capitalists.

Barnum furnishes another arresting example. 5 Although a few of his famous “humbugs” early in his career did have a degree of (rather good-natured) fraud about them, he became wealthy in the circus not by bilking “suckers” but by pro24 CAPITALISM’S IMAGE viding a good, honest show that people appreciated and were quite happy to patronize year after year. 6 Quick profits were made this way, but soon the entire industry was on the verge of extinction because its customers, through experience, no longer were foolish enough to attend.

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