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Rating: 
Summary: A political economist's insightful way of looking at issues.
Review: A very interesting book. I read it when it first came out,and I still refer back to it from time to time. Schellingtakes a look at a myriad of social issues from taxation policy to the cost/benefit analysis of new airport lights for a small community and always makes the reader think. He has a great way of turning situations around so that one can see both sides of an argument and then make informed, and sometimes, rational decisions. A good book on public policy which can turn a liberal into a conservative and vice versa!
Rating: 
Summary: Unlike any of Schelling's other works..
Review: Most people reading this review will know Schelling as a renowned game-theorist/economist, and perhaps as a nobel-prize winner. This is bound to lead to an impression that his books must most likely be economic discourses full of the metrics and highfalutin theoretical abstractions that usually pervade the field in academic circles. I'll dispel that myth and have you know that Schelling's books -- notably this one and his seminal "Strategy of Conflict" (SOC) -- are as close as you'll come to a readable yet gripping compendium of his fascinating economic thinking. His writing is purposefully simple, and his sharp arguments evoke thoughts about matters that can and will appeal to just about any Joe Bloggs. But this book is different from any of Schelling's other published works. SOC for instance was a compilation of roughly a dozen essays discussing negotiation, conflict and strategy...the applications of which were international -- diplomacy, deterrence, arms control, foreign aid, environmental policy, nuclear proliferation, organized crime, racial segregation and integration, tobacco and drugs policy, and ethical issues in policy and business. While most of Schelling's work including SOC has been of a macro-economic bent, the essays in this book extend his theories to a more personal, social level -- things such as how people maneuver in traffic jams, how parents negotiate with their kids (toughest customers in my book), how they behave when confronted with ransom demands, or file suits, or devise agendas for a meeting or their daily lives. I would draw your attention in particular to chapter 6, "Strategic Relationships in Dying" which touches upon some very interesting subjects such as the relationship between a patient and his doctor, especially a terminally ill patient -- where significant human "choices" need to be made to withhold information, to authenticate assertions, and the conflict of interest that arises within small groups. This article truly underscores that apart from being a leading political economist, a métier Schelling has clearly excelled at, he is also at heart a fabulous thinker and writer. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in strategy, or economics, or negotiation, or even a basic thought-provoking intelligent read. Shashank Tripathi
Rating:
Summary: How to think
Review: This book taught me nothing less than how to think correctly about social and political issues - not through instruction, but by example. I was lucky enough to have it assigned to me, and in introduction the professor said, "Schelling is my guru." Count one more acolyte.
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