Books in Brief: Abortion, Baseball, & Weed

Abortion, Baseball, & Weed: Economic Issues of Our Times, by D. C. North and Roger L. Miller (Harper, 213 pp., $1.50). A concise, readable application of economic reasoning to many key issues of the day. The perfect answer for students who demand instant “relevance” from their instructors, and required reading for all others who think economics is dull. Without realizing it, the reader will acquire a painless introduction to such esoteric notions as opportunity cost, risk aversion, and the economics of information. It’s a sneaky book—deriving mainly conservative conclusions from liberal premises. The approach is Friedmanite, but not slavishly so. Try it on smug friends of any stripe: chances are, they will be hopelessly befuddled.

About the Author

Alan Reynolds

Alan Reynolds, National Review’s economics editor from 1972 to 1976, is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author of Income and Wealth.

Featured Tags

Abortion, Baseball, & Weed: Economic Issues of Our Times, by D. C. North and Roger L. Miller (Harper, 213 pp., $1.50). A concise, readable application of economic reasoning to many key issues of the day. The perfect answer for students who demand instant “relevance” from their instructors, and required reading for all others who think economics is dull. Without realizing it, the reader will acquire a painless introduction to such esoteric notions as opportunity cost, risk aversion, and the economics of information. It’s a sneaky book—deriving mainly conservative conclusions from liberal premises. The approach is Friedmanite, but not slavishly so. Try it on smug friends of any stripe: chances are, they will be hopelessly befuddled.