Free Market Madness: Blurbs
“Americans believe that the free market produces the best of all possible worlds. So why are our children’s lives likely to be shorter than our own? In his riveting new book, Ubel shows us how and why the invisible hand can become an invisible fist-and then tells us what we can do about it. This is behavioral science at its best-a must-read for anyone who thinks that public policy should be based on, of all things, facts.”
Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology, Harvard University
“Ubel is a brilliant doctor without intellectual borders. Drawing from diverse disciplines, he injects facts and balance into the ongoing economic debate about the proper roles of personal and government regulation, especially in the critical field of health care.”
Colin Camerer, Robert Kirby Professor of Behavioral Finance and Economics, California Institute of Technology
“In this witty and engaging book, Peter Ubel reveals how problems from the obesity epidemic to out-of-control health-care costs arise when human psychology collides with the free market. Ubel teaches and provokes as he provides a new twist on the history of economics.”
George Loewenstein, Herbert A. Simon professor of economics and psychology, Carnegie Mellon University
“Free Market Madness is an important analysis of one of the most crucial problems facing business and society today: the failure of market incentives and even educational interventions to ensure rational societal outcomes regarding health and well-being. This deeply insightful yet very readable book will give you a better understanding of what drives your behavior and will empower you to make better and more realistic decisions.”
Mary Frances Luce, Thomas A. Finch Jr. Professor of Business Administration, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
“Free Market Madness is not just another book about behavioral economics. Ubel’s unique perspective as a physician allows him to really show how our rationality and irrationality interact-and how they harm both our physical and our economic well-being.”
Sheen S. Iyengar, professor of management, Columbia University Business School