Reviews

“The Irrational Economist challenges conventional wisdoms, overturns traditional economic models, and brings to light new discoveries in decision sciences: The result is a profound revolution in thinking. This book will help us cope better with the myriad of important decisions under uncertainty that we face.”
Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize–winning economist in 2001; former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton; and author of Globalization and Its Discontents

“Dealing with extra-ordinary situations that cannot be quantified on the basis of past experience is one of the key problems facing investors, business executives, and government officials. Michel-Kerjan and Slovic brilliantly rally insights from an outstanding group of authors: There is something here for any reader.”
Martin Feldstein, professor of economics, Harvard University; president emeritus of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); and former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Reagan

“The road to complex business and policy decisions is often strewn with incomplete information, flawed science, and conflicting emotions. In The Irrational Economist some of the world’s foremost economists and decision scientists analyze how we make decisions under pressure-—and offer thought-provoking ideas about how to improve the process. The result is important and remarkably timely.”
Richard M. Smith, chairman, Newsweek

“At a time of transformative choices, we all need guidance, if not a radical shift in perspective. The Irrational Economist is a terrific book that will change the way you make decisions.”
Matthew Bishop, U.S. business editor, The Economist; and author of The Road From Ruin: How to Revive Capitalism and Put America Back on Top

“The future is uncertain and filled with risks. So what do we do about it? Think of this book as a jam session in which the most virtuosic thinkers from economics and a few other social sciences try to answer that essential question. A great performance.”
Justin Fox, editor-at-large, TIME magazine; and author of The Myth of the Rational Market


The Irrational Economist challenges conventional wisdoms, overturns traditional economic models, and brings to light new discoveries in decision sciences: The result is a profound revolution in thinking. This book will help us cope better with the myriad of important decisions under uncertainty that we face.

Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize–winning economist in 2001; former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton; and author of Globalization and Its Discontents