Identity Economics

In this summary, you will learn

• How gender and racial identities shape economic patterns
• How “identity economics” explains the fiscal impact of societal factors
• Why traditional economic models fall short

getAbstract rating

Why you should read Identity Economics

Biting into an economic text often tastes like dry toast, but this book has flavor and a lot of soul. George A. Akerlof, the 2001 Nobel laureate in economics, and Rachel E. Kranton, an economics professor, use a refreshing style to showcase their innovative exposition. They muster telling examples from playground politics to courtroom theatrics to explain how race, gender and class shape individual economic decisions. Now and then, they get stuck in academic prose and repeated explanations about the difference between their persuasive identity-based model and traditional economic analysis, but the model does persuade. The authors offer generous servings of tasty facts, chewy analysis and lively case histories. This is economics seasoned with real-life spice. getAbstract recommends this definitional book to specialists in persuasion, consumer product managers, educators and anyone trying to read the tea leaves of economic patterns.

About the Authors

The 2001 Nobel laureate in economics, George A. Akerlof is a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley. He co-wrote Animal Spirits with Robert J. Shiller. Duke University economics professor Rachel E. Kranton is a scholar in the economics of networks.