The economic naturalist : in search of answers to everyday enigmas / Robert H. Frank.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Rectangular milk cartons and cylindrical soda cans : the economics of product design -- 2. Free peanuts and expensive batteries : supply and demand in action -- 3. Why equally talented workers often earn different salaries and other mysteries of the world of work -- 4. Why some buyers pay more than others : the economics of discount pricing -- 5. Arms races and the tragedy of the commons -- 6. The myth of ownership -- 7. Decoding marketplace signals -- 8. The economic naturalist hits the road -- 9. Psychology meets economics -- 10. The informal market for personal relationships -- 11. Two originals.

"Since the 1980s, economist Robert Frank has been asking his students to pose questions about the oddities they encounter and try to explain them in them in economics terms. Their questions - and the surprising answers - reveal how economic principles really operate. The Economic Naturalist : in Search of Answers to Everyday Enigmas shows how these principles help answer such diverse questions as why female models earn so much more than male models, why retailers might deliberately hammer dents in their own appliances, why the keypad buttons of drive-up cash machines have Braille dots, why child safety seats are required in cars but not airplanes, and why whales, but not chickens, are in danger of extinction."--BOOK JACKET.