The Price of Everything
Pages: 224
Reason Book was Chosen:
I've listened to Russ Roberts' podcast, EconTalk, since 2013. He is also one of my website clients and I manage his russroberts.info website. It's been a pleasure to get to know him through the work on his website and I am looking forward to reading all of his books.My Thoughts
This is the third work of fiction by economist Russ Roberts. I enjoyed this one the most. The bulk of the story follows Ramon Fernandez during his years at Stanford and his interactions with an economics professor named Ruth Lieber. They discuss emergent order, the role of prices, and the good life. The discussions start as the result of an earthquake and a big box retailer doubling all prices to respond to the increase in demand. Is that the right thing to do? Is price gouging evil? What is the role of pricing? Can we know the price of everything?
I loved the novel format for this book. Russ had a few unexpected twists and some poignant moments to make you think. Very enjoyable book I wish I had read during economics class in college.
