Freakonomics - The Movie

In the 1990s, crime rates in the United States dropped tremendously. The result of clever political policies, right? Wrong. In reality, very little had changed in the policy department. Economist Steven Levitt decided to investigate the matter and came back with some remarkable findings. Decades ago, abortion was legalized: many potentially underprivileged children were never born and as a result never ended up living a life of crime. \i New York Times\i0 journalist Stephen Dubner interviewed the economist about his work, and in the end they decided to write a book together about how economic research provides explanations for practically everything. The result was the bestseller \i Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything\i0 (2005). In a popular scientific way, they explain the socioeconomic patterns behind naming one's children. What are your chances in life if your name is Jake or Deshawn? Do students get better grades when there's money in it for them? How and why do sumo wrestlers cheat? Dubner and Levitt asked various renowned documentary filmmakers - including those who made \i Super Size Me\i0 , \i Jesus Camp\i0 and \i Why We Fight \i0 - to film a number of different cases. In between the chapters, the duo offers up lively commentary and provides an explanation about the matter at hand.\i \par