The Invisible Heart

by Russell Roberts

• ISBN13: 9780262681353
• ISBN10: 0262681358
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-03-07
• Publisher: Mit Pr

Summary

A love story that embraces the business and economic issues of the day? The Invisible Hearttakes a provocative look at business, economics, and regulation through the eyes of Sam Gordon and Laura Silver, teachers at the exclusive Edwards School in Washington, D.C. Sam lives and breathes capitalism. He thinks that most government regulation is unnecessary or even harmful. He believes that success in business is a virtue. He believes that our humanity flourishes under economic freedom. Laura prefers Wordsworth to the Wall Street Journal. Where Sam sees victors, she sees victims. She wants the government to protect consumers and workers from the excesses of Sam's beloved marketplace. While Sam and Laura argue about how to make the world a better place, a parallel story unfolds across town. Erica Baldwin, the crusading head of a government watchdog agency, tries to bring Charles Krauss, a ruthless CEO, to justice. How are these two dramas connected? Why is Sam under threat of dismissal? Will Erica Baldwin find the evidence she needs? Can Laura love a man with an Adam Smith poster on his wall? The answers in The Invisible Heartgive the reader a richer appreciation for how business and the marketplace transform our lives.

Author Biography

Russell Roberts is Professor of Economics and the J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith Distinguished Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He is the author of The Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and Protectionism and is a frequent commentator on National Public Radio.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	viii
Opening Day	2	(12)
Beauty and the Beast	14	(4)
Danger and Delight	18	(14)
Tete a Tete	32	(8)
Underpaid and Overworked	40	(12)
Turning Out the Lights	52	(10)
Exploiting the Consumer	62	(22)
Magic Fingers	84	(6)
The Siren's Call	90	(8)
Down and Dirty	98	(10)
Out in the Cold	108	(14)
The Cornered Beast	122	(8)
The Rules of the Game	130	(14)
Serious Numbers	144	(6)
Sweet Charity	150	(26)
The Numbers are Heard	176	(10)
Swimming with the Tide	186	(28)
Last Class	214	(14)
Repairing the World	228	(18)
Show Time	246	(6)
Spare Change	252	(6)
Sources and Further Reading	258	(14)
About the Author	272