Book Presentation

In Applied Economics, Thomas Sowell examines the economic consequences of today’s political decisions. Whereas politicians are frequently concerned with the “stated” goals of their policies and the results of the next election, few voters or policy makers stop to look closely at proposals beyond “stage one” and their long-term impact.

Sowell looks closely at the economic constraints and incentives created by the crucial policies of today, including insurance, economic development, and discrimination, to determine their true costs and effects, particularly those costs often endured by taxpayers or consumers as a result of excessive government intervention in the market.

Thomas Sowell is the Rose and Milton Friedman senior fellow at the Hoover Institute of Stanford University. He previously taught at Cornell, UCLA, and Amherst, among other institutions. He has published many books on economics, race, and social issues, and has also written widely for publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fortune.

This is a summary and not a critique or a review of the book. It does not offer judgment or opinion on the content of the book.  This summary may not be organized chapter-wise but is an overview of the main ideas, viewpoints and arguments from the book as a whole. This means that the organization of this summary is not a representation of the book.