![[cover]](../covers/0887308856.gif)
by David D. Friedman
isbn: 0887308856
subject: Nonfiction,
Economics
finished: 3/27/2000
Hidden Order is a pretty amazing book - Friedman not only presents a lot of basic economics in a small book, but he makes it interesting by demonstrating its broad applicability to understanding human behavior and the efficiency (or inefficiency) of resource allocation caused by existing legal and institutional structures. I thought this made a great combination, although he moves pretty quickly and often sacrifices depth for breadth. I found the chapter on the economics of politics to be especially entertaining; in it Friedman says:
We now have three predictions about the outcome of political markets: They favor concentrated interests, they prefer more efficient to less efficient transfers, and they prefer transfers disguised as something else.
You've got to like that. I highly recommend this book.