This book demonstrates in a very accessible manner the application of economics to a variety of key public-policy issues. The essays are written by outstanding economists who are highly esteemed in the profession, and the choice of subjects is relevant and timely. -- Diane Coyle, author of The Soulful Science: What Economists Really Do and Why It Matters A who's who of prominent economists assess today's big issues in this fascinating and readable book. Nobody who reads the op-ed page can afford to do without this. -- William Easterly, professor of economics, New York University, and author of The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good A unique collection of exceptionally insightful yet altogether accessible essays on key public policy topics. -- Lawrence H. Goulder, Shuzo Nishihara Professor of Resource and Environmental Economics, Stanford University Provide[s] insight into issues of critical importance in twenty-first-century America. A valuable resource. Booklist A genuinely useful contribution to knowledge and one that has life-changing implications for future generations. Irish Times A useful and often stimulating introduction to the thinking of professional economists on the salient policy issues of recent times. -- Richard N. Cooper Foreign Affairs The book is full of excellent cut and thrust. -- Robert Skidelsky Times Literary Supplement