Social Economics: Market Behavior in a Social Environment

Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Review: Gary S. Becker and Kevin M. Murphy explore the market behavior in a social environment most magnificiently in this book. The insight that I have gained through reading this book cannot be measured by a mere mortal. Furthermore, it astounds me that the sales rank for this book is 72,711, when on my bookshelf it is number 1! This is a must buy for anyone, even if you have no prior knowledge of economics.

Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Review: Gary S. Becker and Kevin M. Murphy explore the market behavior in a social environment most magnificiently in this book. The insight that I have gained through reading this book cannot be measured by a mere mortal. Furthermore, it astounds me that the sales rank for this book is 72,711, when on my bookshelf it is number 1! This is a must buy for anyone, even if you have no prior knowledge of economics.

Rating:
Summary: Reads like a textbook -- Advanced knowledge required
Review: This book assumes much prior economic knowledge on the part of the reader. If you are looking for an intuitive, digestable text that highlights the relationships between social and market forces... THIS IS NOT IT.
Becker's ideas, though compelling, are often lost in the academic murk of sophisticated formulas and equation analysis. For example, the first three pages of the opening chapter talk extensively about derivatives of utility functions as they relate to social capital. It felt like I was back in calculus or finance class. This book reads like a textbook. I don't recommend it for anyone with less than an intermediate, working understanding of economic theory.