Economics is the science of who gets what and why. In a well-known and fascinating book — part exposure, part user guide — the discerning Financial Times columnist tears down the veil of mystery about how money works in the modern world. From the price of a cup of coffee to why efficiency isn’t always the answer to finding a just society, from improving health care to solving traffic jams, all of these tricks and secrets admirably expose the “Undercover Economist.” Harford elegantly clarifies such difficult to understand ideas as pricing along the demand curve and game theory, using real-life examples. The book addresses free market economic theory, and Harford shows how companies, from Amazon. com to Whole Foods and Starbucks, inflate consumers with guerrilla pricing techniques, and explain the high cost of renting (having more to do with agriculture than one might imagine). The book simply covers complex economic theories. It will undoubtedly be of interest to readers interested in understanding how the forces of the free market work. The examples given by the author - sometimes entertaining, sometimes prophetic - will force you to think twice before drinking a cup of coffee.