Parentonomics
Like any new parent, Joshua Gans felt joy mixed with anxiety upon the birth of his first child. Unlike most parents, however, Gans is an economist, and he began to apply the tools of his trade to raising his children. He saw his new life as one big economic management problem—and if economics helped him think about parenting, parenting illuminated certain economic principles. Parentonomics is the entertaining, enlightening, and often hilarious fruit of his research.
Praise for Parentonomics
"I'm sure parents will recognize many of the parenting dilemmas Joshua Gans has come across. Each of these vignettes is amusing, often touching, and always told in a very tender way. Yet the economist in Joshua can re-frame these stories to find the underlying economics, and perhaps some useful parenting insights as well."
― Justin Wolfers, Freaknomics Blog, The New York Times
"Parentonomics brings a thought-provoking and sometimes laugh-out-loud perspective to the challenges faced by every mother and father."
― Sherrill Nixon, Sydney Morning Herald
"Parentonomics challenges conventional parenting by applying economic theories to the messy reality of raising kids."
― Susie O'Brien, Victoria Herald Sun
"Dr. Spock meets Freakonomics. Parenting will never be the same. Forget about inflation and unemployment. Here Gans uses economics and game theory to tackle really important topics, such as toilet training and fussy eaters. Parentonomics lays bare what most sleep-deprived parents only dream about. Gans may not help you become a better parent, but he will help you to stay one step ahead of your kids."
― Barry Nalebuff, Milton Steinbach Professor at Yale School of Management, co-author of Co-Opetition