Scarcity

From the authors of the widely discussed Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, here is a fresh and fascinating look at how scarcity—and our flawed responses to it—shapes our lives, our society, and our culture. In a provocative examination of how scarcity—and our flawed responses to it—shapes our lives, society, and culture, Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir explain why successful people get things done at the eleventh hour; why poverty persists in the face of government aid; why organizations get stuck in firefighting mode; why the lonely find it is hard to make friends; and much more. Their answers hinge on one core idea: We all respond to incentives, but the cues that trigger poor decisions differ for those living under financial pressure.