Objective Prosperity: How Behavioral Economics Can Improve Outcomes for You, Your Business, and Your Nation

by Roger D. Blackwell, Roger A. Bailey

Overview

Regardless of how you earn a living, you have likely taken time during the pandemic to take stock of where you are and where you want to be in the future. These evaluations inevitably lead to the question: “How do I get there?” The answers may seem hard to find at times, and for a good reason. Every person comes from a different background, with different skillsets, constraints, weaknesses, and strengths. Identifying ways to increase your prosperity is made even more challenging by the reality that the success of your nation’s economy can have a dramatic effect on your own success. Politicians, prickly pundits, and pompous TV personalities will promise answers for you and your nation, but consider this: Are there really one-size-fits-all answers to improve prosperity?

To be clear, this is not a book of simple answers to all of the world’s problems. There are certainly enough “expert opinions” on the planet to go around. Instead, this book provides a method for you to arrive at your own answers not driven by upcoming elections and TV ratings. Throughout the text, there will be a number of explanations, recommendations, and examples to identify solutions to improve your own prosperity and to evaluate the policies that seek to improve the economy around you.

If you want to get the most out of this book, consider a few ground. First, try to approach the examples with as little bias as possible. Consider that this is far easier said than done. Biases, positive or negative, are learned predispositions to the environment around us. Just like every person has different strengths and weaknesses, every person also comes with different biases. Strong beliefs about the way things should be should not stop you from being able to evaluate a situation thoroughly and carefully. This book provides a behavioral-economics-based (data-based) view of prosperity that avoids the pitfalls of using preformed opinions and subsequent biases. In short, drop the dogma and dig into the data!

Second, this book will walk you through the opinions of multiple sources. Evaluation of the authoritative opinions of others allows you access to valuable information you may not otherwise consider. However, like every person, these sources will frequently have a slant to them (politically or otherwise), and yes, some may even include false or misinterpreted information! To help maintain objectivity, you should consider sources from different perspectives, not just those you are most comfortable with. The frequent quotes and references in the text provide further resources, but also highlight the importance of evaluating expert opinions in drawing conclusions for yourself.

In addition to the above, each chapter includes a few “Keys to Prosperity.” These examples, quotes, and discussions are provided as practical insights from the authors. Consider these a base point to work from as you evaluate your own situation, the situation of those around you, the current state of your nation’s economy, and how you might take action to improve your prosperity in light of these things!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944480783
Publisher:	Rothstein Publishing
Publication date:	08/15/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	260
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

ROGER BLACKWELL financed his education by working at radio and television stations and a newspaper in Missouri. After receiving his Ph. D. at Northwestern University, he joined the faculty of The Ohio State University where he taught 65,000 students and co-authored Consumer Behavior, a textbook used throughout the world in multiple languages and editions, and 30 other books. He also lectured and conducted research in 40 countries on seven continents, observing in-person why people are poor or prosperous. While a professor, he was on the boards of fourteen public corporations. Currently, he serves on boards of private organizations and teaches seminars about economics in the U.S. and Canada.

ROGER BAILEY was born in Toledo, Ohio, and lived on the east side until middle school. After his parents separated, his mother remarried a musician and his family moved to several different states throughout his adolescence (Arizona, Tennessee, Idaho). In high school, Roger had grown tired of leaving friends behind and upon his family’s next move he accepted a position to live on a local cattle ranch in Southern Idaho and work for his room and board through his last two years of high school.

After graduation, Roger moved to be with his family again in northern Arizona. After a few years working full-time, Roger returned to school at the local community college. He worked full-time at the local hospital while earning his Bachelors and Master of Science degree in Mathematics at Northern Arizona University, graduating Summa Cum Laude and with Distinction respectively. Roger’s desire to work in a more applied area led him to pursue a Ph.D. in Economics at Vanderbilt University, and to pursue a post-doctorate position in marketing at the Fisher College of Business. As a Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing, Roger teaches coursework that applies mathematics, statistics, and economics to improve decision-making in the field of marketing. A passionate educator and student advocate, Roger has won multiple teaching awards in his time at The Ohio State University and also serves as Academic Director of the full-time MBA program.