Economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner turn economics into detective work, using data to uncover the hidden incentives shaping everyday behaviour. Freakonomics isn’t about markets or money—it’s about why people cheat, lie, or cooperate when the rules and rewards shift.

From teachers and sumo wrestlers gaming performance metrics to real estate agents exploiting insider knowledge, the authors reveal how misaligned incentives produce predictable distortions. They trace how information gaps and moral assumptions cloud judgment—and how unconventional data can cut through both.

Playful yet provocative, Freakonomics invites readers to see the hidden side of everything. It’s a guide to thinking empirically in a world full of easy explanations—and a reminder that the simplest questions often uncover the biggest surprises.