The Economic Approach to Human Behaviour - Grand Format

Since his pioneering application of economic analysis to racial discrimination, Gary S. Becker has shown that an economic approach can provide a unified framework for understanding all human behavior. In a highly readable selection of essays Becker applies this approach to various aspects of human activity, including social interactions ; crime and punishment ; marriage, fertility, and the family ; and "irrational" behavior.
Becker's key concepts in the economic approach are market equilibrium, stable preferences, and maximizing behavior. These concepts can predict responses to market prices or to "shadow" prices - imputed values of goods and services, such as ideas or time. that are not sold in any market. Each chapter of the book considers a different aspect of human behavior, showing that the method is broad enough to explain decisions as mundane as buying a loaf of bread or as monumental as choosing a spouse.