Prof. J. C. Bradbury

J.C. Bradbury (Ph.D., George Mason University), is the author of The Baseball Economist, a book about how baseball can be explained using economic principles. He is an Associate Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State University just north of Atlanta, and runs the blog sabernomics.com, where he discusses the economics of baseball.

Are there any books that were important to your development as an economist or that you would recommend to aspiring economists, or any books you would perhaps warn young economists about?

I really enjoy The Armchair Economist, by Steven Landsburg. I actually did not read it until I was in graduate school learning about economics in a much more complex way. Landsburg asks seemingly simple questions (e.g., Why is popcorn more expensive at the movies? Why do stores sell items for 99 cents?) but finding the answers with basic economic theory was much harder in practice than it looks on the surface. I used to be a part of a group that focused on asking and answering "Armchair" questions, and I learned so much economics from this interaction. I also enjoyed The Calculus of Consent, by James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock. Their application of economics to government institutions explained so much to me. As for books I would recommend to aspiring economists, Tim Harford’s The Undercover Economist is good. Freakonomics is fun, too. Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom was way ahead of its time. As for books I would avoid, I tend to forget those rather quickly. 

Do you have any advice to give to students like me?

My advice for students is to remain skeptical and don't just take what your teacher says as truth.   Always speak up in class and ask why. Have confidence in yourself and don't be ashamed of admitting your ignorance. I often have students approach me after class with excellent questions and I say, “why didn't you ask that in class?” If you have a questions, it's likely that many other students are thinking the same thing. I love being able to answer such questions in front of the whole class. Learn to teach yourself by asking hard questions and seeking out answers on your own. The internet makes this easy. Dive in and finds books and papers that can help enlighten you.