The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.88 (722 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B002O0BC10 |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 363 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-10-14 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Pirates proved that anarchy could be organized. Revealing the democratic and economic forces propelling history's most colorful criminals, The Invisible Hook establishes pirates' trailblazing relevance to the contemporary world.. With swashbuckling irreverence and devilish wit, Peter Leeson uncovers the hidden economics behind pirates' notorious, entertaining, and sometimes downright shocking behavior. Pirates understood the advantages of constitutional democracy--a model they adopted more than fifty years before the United States did so. Pirates also initiated an early system of workers' compensation, regulated drinking and smoking, and in some cases practiced racial tolerance and equality. Leeson contends that pirates exemplified the virtues of vice--their self-seeking interests generated socially desi
Alan said Educational and Interesting!. Peter T. Leeson spoke at my college when I was a freshman (six years ago now) and I went for an extra credit in my gen ed econ class. His talk was so memorable that even six years later, when I needed to research piracy and wanted a unique angle, I remembered him and purchased his book. It didn't disappoint!THE INVISIBLE HOOK provides a very inte. Joshua Rosenblum said Pirates and Liberty. As any reader of GURPS: Swashbucklers knows, the buccaneers of the golden age of piracy were a remarkably enlightened bunch, establishing on their ships a system of egalitarian, democratic civil administration.Oh, you haven't read GURPS: Swashbucklers?Well never mind that. What's important to know is that, despite their reputation as blood-thirst. "Read it -- but not all of it" according to Jason Dusek. The book makes a good case for understanding the behavior both of merchant captains and pirates in economic terms, surprising us with pirate's democracy, fair profit sharing, generous approach to disability and disinclination to slavery.In places, the book is repetitive; and in others, insubstantial and almost ideological. The section on pirate h
Understanding the profit motive that guided pirates' actions reveals why pirates so cruelly tortured the crews of ships that resisted boarding, yet treated those who surrendered readily with the utmost respect. Both practices worked to minimize costs to the pirate crew by discouraging resistance that could lead to loss of life and limb for pirates and damage to either the pirates' ship or the cargo aboard. From Publishers Weekly Economist Leeson leads readers though a surprisingly entertaining crash course in economics in this study of high seas piracy at the turn of the 18th century. . Illustrated with salty tales of pirates both famous and infamous, the book rarely bogs down even when explaining intricate economic concepts, making it a great introduction to both pirate history and economic theory. (June)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All