About the Book
Visit the book’s official website at
: This PDF document contains key terms from the book, along with their definitions and the page numbers on which they are referenced.
About the Authors
To learn more about the authors, visit
Follow Author Sendil Mullainathan on Twitter
Learn about the authors’ nonprofit organization, .
Q&A with the Authors
(Harold Pollack, The Washington Post, Sep. 13, 2013) This is an edited transcript of an interview with one author (Mullainathan) that focuses on the intentions and implications of the book.
(B. Rose Huber, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Oct. 22, 2013)
Selected Reviews
Read reviews at
(Jesse Singal, The Boston Globe, Oct. 9, 2013)
(Cass R. Sunstein, The New York Review of Books, Sep. 26, 2013)
(Timothy Ogden, Stanford Social Innovation Review)
(The Economist, Aug. 31, 2013) This article offers a short background of how the book came about and includes brief author biographies. It also provides an overview of the mindset that scarcity creates, as discussed in the book.
(Victoria Bateman, Times Higher Education, Sep. 12, 2013)
(Michelle Singletary, The Washington Post, Nov. 8, 2013)
Related Articles
(Evan Nesterak, The Psych Report, Sep. 2, 2013)
(John Tierney, The New York Times,2011) An in-depth article exploring the topic of decision fatigue.
(Matt Might) This article provides solutions to commonly felt scarcity problems in the home or office.
(Maia Szalavitz, TIME, Jan. 21, 2013) Szalavitz discusses the relation scarcity has to short-term and long-term decision making, as connected to economics and the cycle of poverty.
(Nir Eyal, Nir and Far) Eyal applies the scarcity mindset to business and explains how it can cause problems or contribute to successes for consumers and business owners.
(WikiHow) This wiki page includes nine steps (with photos) to overcoming the scarcity mindset and creating more opportunities for change in your life.
(Jacob Goldstein, The New York Times, 2013) Jacob Goldstein discusses the charity GiveDirectly, which gives money to the poor without any preconditions.
(David R. Henderson, Library of Economics and Liberty, The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics, 2008) A definition of opportunity cost.
(Daniel Little, Understanding Society, 2013) Daniel Little explains the subject of poverty from an economics standpoint.
(Bryce Covert, ThinkProgress, 2013) Bryce Covert discusses the negative impacts poverty has on cognition.
(The Economist, Aug. 31, 2013)
(Tim Grant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jan. 11, 2014)
(Adam Baker, Man Vs. Debt, Jan. 10, 2012) Baker weighs the pros and cons of having a “scarcity mindset.â€
(Changing Minds, 2013) An explanation of the scarcity principle.
(Shane Parrish, Farnam Street, Dec. 12, 2013)
(Stew Liff, Strategic Thinking, 2014) A brief explanation of trade-off thinking and the consequences that can result.
(Jodi Beggs, About.com) This article provides a brief overview of behavioral economics and the pressures that affect decision making.
(Jamie Holmes, New Republic, 2011) Understanding poverty and the scarcity trap.
Related Articles Written by the Authors
(Sendhil Mullainathan, TIME, Sep. 9, 2013)
Media
Audio
Listen to interviews with the authors on the publisher’s website at
(Wisconsin Public Radio, Sep. 23, 2013, 43:26 mins.) This is a conversation with Eldar Shafir in which the author discusses the main ideas covered in the book.
(Shankar Vedantam, NPR, Jan. 2, 2014, 5:41 mins.) This radio review of Scarcity focuses on the premise of the book and includes audio from the authors.
Videos
(Peter Diamandis, TED, Feb. 2012, 16:14 mins.) In this talk, we are asked to consider how scarcity can be transformed into abundance if we readjust our expectations and adopt a more optimistic worldview.
(Columbia Business, May 3, 2010, 55:09 mins.)
(The Aspen Institute, Jun. 27, 2013, 2:23 mins.) Shafir lectures on planning and scarcity, drawing heavily from the suitcase metaphor in Scarcity.
(The Aspen Institute, Aug. 1, 2013, 55:51 mins.)
(The Aspen Institute, Jun. 27, 2013, 4:39 mins.)
(Eldar Shafir, TEDx Talks, Dec. 2, 2011, 13:37) In this video, Scarcity Author Eldar Shafir talks about decision making and scarcity.