Freakonomics  

I dont think the legalisation of abortion was what lead to decrease in crime rate, they could be teo concommitant unrelated events. In history, decrease in incidence of crime has always been related to economic growth.

I have a degree in Economics from
Sydney University.
I really cannot understand the connection between Economics and the subjects brought out in your post.
1)The crime rate of the U S.
I did Economic Statistics, the
crime rate of the United States would not interest me in the least.
2)The legalisation of abortion.
This is surely a social problem not an Economics one.

Mr Steven D Levitt must have some ulterior motives to be associating
these subjects with Economics.

Surely they are not extentions of
Welfare Economics.(SEE Welfare Economics
by Little)

I am reading the book right now and have already read that part. It makes complete sense to me.I think the making of a criminal is related to the environment he is born. An unwanted child certainly does not recieve a very good upbringing ( especially in the poorer sections of the society).
All the other cases mentioned in the book are also good. I particularly liked the one about Ku Klux Clan.

Statistics don't lie. Its an interesting book full of freak analysis of the weirdest things. And I find the discussion stated above to be perfectly logical.

The book is a collection of economic articles written by Levitt, translated into prose meant for a wide audience. Levitt had already gained a reputation in academia for applying economic theory to diverse topics usually not covered by "traditional" economists (note that Levitt is actually not at all a "rogue" economist in that he entirely accepts the standard microeconomic paradigm of rational utility-maximization; he is merely applying it to unconventional subjects).

his work is immensely convincing - the way in which he not only brings out statistics and looks at them in fresh ways, but also presents them with wit and flair is to be commended. the abortion hypothesis, just like the drug-dealer insights and the sumo-wrestling study, make a lot of sense. perhaps abortion is not the sole cause - levitt also acknowledges that increased cop numbers may have a part to play. but it is definitely worthy of consideration - especially with the abortion debates that are raging around the world at the moment.