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THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND PARADOX by Byron Fisher

THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND PARADOX

: A Treatise on Economics

by Byron Fisher

Pub Date: Aug. 17th, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4196-6427-4

Simple, quirky attempt to deconstruct air pollution and the Mafia in order to prove a new theory on economics.

Most people do not hire contract killers just because they are available. There has to be a need for contract killing. “The act of the general public demanding the services of contract killers” must come before “the act of contract killers supplying the general public with their services.” This has been true throughout human history, and it won’t change any time soon, Fisher notes in this fun, thought-provoking book. The general rule in economics has always been that supply and demand are equal entities–Fisher flips this notion on its head with this agile treatise on consumerism. Using examples that range from evolutionary biology to organized crime to Ponce de León’s search for the Fountain of Youth, Fisher explains why simply providing a product to the consumer will never dictate a need for that product. The plain, straightforward language that he uses to clarify his theory will probably infuriate pug-nosed academics, but the average reader will appreciate Fisher’s attempts to describe a complicated subject without polysyllabic, theoretical prose. The book’s only downfall is that it is structured like a research paper instead of an essay collection, which is really what it should be. Fisher supplies the reader with theorems and formulas, albeit extremely simple ones, that cater to the academic market, but his book is too much fun for the Ivy Leaguers. He needs to stop worrying about whether Supply equals Demand or Demand does not equal Supply, and develop his natural skills as a storyteller.

A young economist with a unique worldview who has the potential to be a good writer.