Gary Becker Books

This 1995 volume demonstrates the application of Beckerian theory upon a wide range of social and political activity.

A study of how investment in an individual's education and training is similar to business investments in equipment. This edition has four new chapters, covering topics including: human capital, fertility and economic growth, the division of labour and economic considerations within the family.

Since his pioneering application of economic analysis to racial discrimination, Gary S. Becker has shown that an economic approach can provide a unified framework for understanding all human behavior. In a highly readable selection of essays Becker applies this approach to various aspects of human activity, including social interactions; crime and punishment; marriage, fertility, and the family; and "irrational" behavior."Becker's highly regarded work in economics is most notable in the imaginative application of 'the economic approach' to a surprising breadth of human activity. Becker's essays over the years have inevitably inspired a surge of research activity in testimony to the richness of his insights into human activities lying 'outside' the traditionally conceived economic markets. Perhaps no economist in our time has contributed more to expanding the area of interest to economists than Becker, and a number of these thought-provoking essays are collected in this book."— ChoiceGary Becker was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Science in 1992.

Judges and legal scholars talk past one another, if they have any conversation at all. Academics criticize judicial decisions in theoretical terms, which leads many judges to dismiss academic discourse as divorced from reality. Richard Posner reflects on the causes and consequences of this widening gap and what can be done to close it.

A distinguished and experienced appellate court judge, Posner offers in this new book a unique and, to orthodox legal thinkers, a startling perspective on how judges and justices decide cases.

Emphasizes the differences between law and literature, which are rooted in the different social functions of legal and literary texts. This book include topics such as the cruel and unusual punishments clause of the Constitution, illegal immigration, surveillance, global warming and bioterrorism, and plagiarism.

From economics Nobel Laureate Gary Becker and historian Guity Nashat Becker comes this collection of the economist's popular BusinessWeek columns. These 138 essays have fueled numerous debates, touching on hot-button issues from crime to organization of sports. The Beckers' surprising--and uncompromising--positions on drugs ("legalize them"), immigration ("auction off immigration slots"), welfare ("curtail it sharply"), and other topics provide a provocative commentary on our times.

"In the five years since Nobel Prize-winning economist Gary S. Becker and renowned jurist and legal scholar Richard A. Posner began writing a blog together, the Becker-Posner Blog has established a reputation as a reliable source of lively, thought-provoking commentary on current events. Uncommon Sense gathers the most important and innovative entries from the blog, arranged by topic, along with updates and even reconsiderations when subsequent events have shed new light on a question."--Jacket

268 pages. Economics & Sociology

The book showcases the unpublished works of Gary Becker, a Nobel Prize-winning economist known for his contributions to human capital and microeconomics. It highlights his unique thought process and personality through a collection of manuscripts and speeches that reveal his critical and curious nature. This compilation serves as a tribute to Becker's enduring spirit of inquiry, emphasizing that his intellectual journey was driven by a quest for understanding rather than mere publication. It provides valuable insights into the mind of a pioneering figure in economics.