"The authors, three US-based academics, keep the debate moving along with a chatty, breezy style. The book hits its stride with the thornier problems insurance companies and their customers are beginning to face."--Oliver Ralph, Financial Times "The authors, professors at Stanford, MIT and Boston, do a masterful job of explaining the intractable complexities created by this socially vital activity."--Martin Wolf, Financial Times , "Best Books of 2022: Economics" "[The authors] craft an entertaining account of a subject most people encounter only when they write premium checks or file a claim."-- Harvard Magazine "The book . is a classic example of how to present economic research in readable, digestible form."--Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution (blog) "A gem of a book."--Mike Jakeman, Strategy + Business magazine "The problem of hidden information is central to understanding insurance, and the nature of markets more generally.
The very human cat-and-mouse stories that animate Risky Business are not only great fun; they also subtly reveal the basis of a great deal of economics."--George Akerlof, Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences "Most people--indeed, most policy makers--don't fully get why the insurance business is really different from selling televisions or broccoli or even other financial products. Risky Business gives an accessible tour of why insurance is a special case and why it matters. Without a doubt, it is likely to be the most fun book you will ever read that includes the word 'insurance' in the title."--Austan Goolsbee, former chair of the Council of Economic Advisors " Risky Business does the seemingly impossible: it makes insurance fun! Picture the most interesting book you can imagine about insurance; I promise you, this book is three times better than the one you imagined. Throw out the economics textbooks--this is how people should learn economics!"--Steven D. Levitt, coauthor of Freakonomics "This book is a fascinating look at how insurance markets work (or don't). It's a must read for people seeking to understand their own choices, and for policy makers who shape those options.
"--Emily Oster, author of The Family Firm.