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The Voltage Effect: How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas Scale Hardcover – February 1, 2022

4.4 out of 5 stars 428 ratings

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A leading economist answers one of today’s trickiest questions: Why do some great ideas make it big while others fail to take off?
 
“Brilliant, practical, and grounded in the very latest research, this is by far the best book I’ve ever read on the how and why of scaling.”—Angela Duckworth, CEO of Character Lab and New York Times bestselling author of Grit

LONGLISTED FOR THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD

“Scale” has become a favored buzzword in the startup world. But scale isn't just about accumulating more users or capturing more market share. It's about whether an idea that takes hold in a small group can do the same in a much larger one—whether you’re growing a small business, rolling out a diversity and inclusion program, or delivering billions of doses of a vaccine. 
 
Translating an idea into widespread impact, says University of Chicago economist John A. List, depends on one thing only: whether it can achieve “high voltage”—the ability to be replicated at scale. 
 
In
The Voltage Effect, List explains that scalable ideas share a common set of attributes, while any number of attributes can doom an unscalable idea. Drawing on his original research, as well as fascinating examples from the realms of business, policymaking, education, and public health, he identifies five measurable vital signs that a scalable idea must possess, and offers proven strategies for avoiding voltage drops and engineering voltage gains. You’ll learn:

 
 How celebrity chef Jamie Oliver expanded his restaurant empire by focusing on scalable “ingredients” (until it collapsed because talent doesn’t scale)
 
 Why the failure to detect false positives early on caused the Reagan-era drug-prevention program to backfire at scale
 
 How governments could deliver more services to more citizens if they focused on the last dollar spent
 
 How one education center leveraged positive spillovers to narrow the achievement gap across the entire community
 
 Why the right set of incentives, applied at scale, can boost voter turnout, increase clean energy use, encourage patients to consistently take their prescribed medication, and more. 
 
By understanding the science of scaling, we can drive change in our schools, workplaces, communities, and society at large. Because a better world can only be built at scale.
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Popular Highlights in this book

From the Publisher

Duckworth says it’s brilliant, practical and grounded

Sunstein calls it an instant classic in behavioral economics

Cook says it fills the gap between startup books and management books

Daron says it is thought provoking and engaging

Editorial Reviews

Review

“List is far too thoughtful to write something gimmicky or simple. . . . An entertaining and clear writer. His book is chock-full of compelling stories of businesses that failed and others that went big.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Skillfully done . . . Careful, comprehensive, and fun,
The Voltage Effect excels in turning a seemingly boring niche topic into a fascinating book that’s relevant to all, from CEOs and policymakers to naturally curious people with a taste for learning how economics shapes our lives in the real world.”—ZME Science

“If you’ve ever wondered why so many promising solutions fail to achieve their desired impact, look no further. . . . A master class in how the quirks of human irrationality can make or break our ideas in the real world.”
—Steven D. Levitt, professor of economics, University of Chicago, and co-author of Freakonomics

“Brilliant, practical, and grounded in the very latest research, this is by far the best book I’ve ever read on the how and why of scaling. If you care about changing the world, or just want to make better decisions in your own life,
The Voltage Effect is for you.”—Angela Duckworth, CEO of Character Lab and New York Times bestselling author of Grit

“How many books are funny and wise, practical and profound? John List is a scientist, but he’s also a magician, and he’s changing the world.
The Voltage Effect shows how. This is one of the best economics books I have ever read—and an instant classic in behavioral economics.”—Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard University, and New York Times bestselling co-author of Nudge

The Voltage Effect is the tool kit for the ambitious. Packed with proven principles and pro tips made real through behind-the-scenes stories in settings ranging from Silicon Valley to African NGOs, it fills the gap between startup books and management books to show how any idea can achieve its full potential.”—Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit

“A must-read . . . Ideas from the ivory tower or Davos fail often—and fail badly—because they do not recognize the deeply political and historical nature of the problems they are meant to deal with or the social realities in which these problems are embedded. This thought-provoking and engaging book proposes an original framework for thinking about how good policy proposals can be applied at a scale large enough to do social good, and for avoiding predictable mistakes that prevent such scaling.”
—Daron Acemoglu, professor at MIT and co-author of Why Nations Fail and The Narrow Corridor

“John List’s work in field experiments is revolutionary.”
—Gary Becker, professor of economics and sociology, University of Chicago, Nobel Prize for Economics

About the Author

John A. List is the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago. He has served on the Council of Economic Advisers and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Kenneth Galbraith Award. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Economist, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, NPR, Slate, NBC, Bloomberg, and The Washington Post. List has authored over 250 peer-reviewed journal articles, several academic books, and, with Uri Gneezy, the international bestseller The Why Axis.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown Currency
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 1, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593239482
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593239483
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.07 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.36 x 1.03 x 9.55 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 428 ratings

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John A. List
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Professor John A. List is the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on combining field experiments with economic theory to deepen our understanding of the economic science. In the early 1990s, List pioneered field experiments as a methodology for testing behavioral theories and learning about behavioral principles that are shared across different domains. He co-authored the international best seller, The Why Axis, in 2013. List was elected a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011, and a Fellow of the Econometric Society in 2015. List received the 2010 Kenneth Galbraith Award, the 2008 Arrow Prize for Senior Economists for his research in behavioral economics in the field, and was the 2012 Yrjo Jahnsson Lecture Prize recipient. He is a current Editor of the Journal of Political Economy.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
428 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers appreciate how the book connects empirically sound insights from behavioral economics and provides real-life examples and applications. Moreover, the writing style is simple and easy to understand, making it a great read. Additionally, customers find the book economically relevant, and one customer notes its chatty and informal style.

20 customers mention "Insight"17 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights, particularly how it connects empirically sound insights from behavioral economics and provides real-life examples and applications for scaling ideas.

"...from his work in schools and for the federal government as he develops simple, usable tests of how to judge your ideas...." Read more

"...And both underscore the power of economics and behavioral approach to contemplating scale. But of the two, I like part two the most...." Read more

"...1. John is a refreshingly rare and different breed of academic economist, far more dedicated to applying economic theory to solve complex, real..." Read more

"...It leads me to reflect on my experience in business, current work in research, and decisions in my personal life...." Read more

12 customers mention "Readability"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, with takeaways that make for enjoyable reading, and one customer notes it's a must-read for anyone starting a new business.

"...The take-aways make for enjoyable reading and a roadmap to some of the most important decisions all of us make about which ideas to push forward." Read more

"I finally finished #thevoltageeffect by John List. This is an excellent book, and a great companion piece to ”Influence is Your Super Power” by Zoe..." Read more

"...John List's new book, The Voltage Effect an insightful and thoroughly enjoyable read for three reasons: 1...." Read more

"...One of the better business books I read this year." Read more

11 customers mention "Writing style"8 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, finding it well-written and easy to understand, with one customer noting it's a good quick read.

"...This is not a typical book by a typical economist. It is immediately readable and broadly applicable. I highly recommend “The Voltage Effect.”..." Read more

"...And the icing on the cake is John's breezy and unpretentious writing style, which turns a book grounded in economic theory into a page-turner for..." Read more

"Good quick read that gets to the point quickly (a positive trait for these type of reads)...." Read more

"First off, the is just a fun read. It's so well-written and makes its points by telling stories...." Read more

3 customers mention "Economics"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's economic content, with one finding it interesting from an economic perspective.

"...Second, the lessons, while interesting from an economic perspective, were rarely couched in ways that would provide insight to startups looking to..." Read more

"...Ideals like marginalism, sunk cost fallacy, cost of opportunity bias, ambiguity aversion bias, coopetition, comparative advantage were all..." Read more

"Economics for Everyone!..." Read more

3 customers mention "Style"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's style, with one noting its chatty and informal tone.

"...focus on culture, why it’s important, and how to build a good one, is unique and eyeopening...." Read more

"...The style is chatty and informal. No one the author has ever met is anything less than brilliant, etc...." Read more

"A unique look inside how top executives make crucial decisions..." Read more

Economics for Everyone!
5 out of 5 stars
Economics for Everyone!
I highly recommend this book for everyone, no matter their background. As a person with varied backgrounds (I was an intern in a big-name company, working in a start-up company, investing in social venture programs and now a phd student), I gained much inspiration reading this book. It leads me to reflect on my experience in business, current work in research, and decisions in my personal life. Back in my days, books like Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Zero to One, The Lean Startup, Business Model Generation, etc., are all must-read for every entrepreneur. I think the Voltage Effect should be added to that list (chapter Scaling Culture includes discussion about diversity and inclusion that has been rarely mentioned in other books), and it opens to broader audiences. For entrepreneurs or policy markers, it offers practical tools for implementation and scaling. For college students, it tells you what economics does and how it can help make this world better. For everyone who likes to self-reflect, I bet you can have some good insights about your own life choices. John List shares lots of firsthand material and experience of his past research work (with government, NGOs, private sectors) and personal life experience in a sincere way (especially the chapter Quitting Is For Winners ). I wish I could meet this book earlier. Fortunately, it is not too late to read it now!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2022
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    A Must Read!
    How many times do you get to accompany a top-of-the world expert as they work with the CEOs of companies such as Uber and Lyft? In most cases, these economists and consultants are bound by non-disclosure agreements preventing them from revealing what goes on behind closed doors.

    But in this book, economist John List takes you inside the real world of figuring out which ideas will scale and become the next big thing--and which won’t. This isn’t another book by an academic theoretician or consultant showing us how the world of business should be, based on hazy generalizations, or by a CEO who regales us with stories of what they did when they were up at bat.

    In this book you ride side-saddle with an expert as he investigates ideas to see which will work, and which will fail—but more importantly, why each idea sounded good and how the decisions were made of which ideas could scale. And this isn’t just which ideas made the sales line grow, but instead, Prof List uses his deep knowledge of the financial statements to dig into the true cost of each idea and whether it will add to the bottom line. Too many entrepreneurs—and authors-- are focused only on top line growth.

    From this book you will walk away with ideas about how ideas are tested in the most rigorous fashion. At center point are a set of ways you can deceive yourself when looking at and interpreting data. As an added bonus, he includes examples from his work in schools and for the federal government as he develops simple, usable tests of how to judge your ideas.

    The book is a unique combination of Prof List’s wide experience and laser focus on predicting what will fly and what won't. The take-aways make for enjoyable reading and a roadmap to some of the most important decisions all of us make about which ideas to push forward.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    An analysis of what ideas tend to scale well and what to be cautious of when developing a concept. The first half of the book looks at some telltale signs: 1) false positives, 2) understanding TAM,3) diagnosing scalable factors 4) spillovers 5) rising costs. While this all sounds clear, I found the author’s ordering too complicated to follow. This book is best thought of as a bunch of interesting anecdotes from his many years of research.

    For instance, the third leading cause of death are medical errors. Most developmental economics studies focus too much on similar cohorts leading to unscalable poverty reduction efforts. Quality fade is ripe in service sector companies as multiple branches drift from their initial mission. The Peltzman Effect negates a lot of direct benefits of an implemented policy. Moral licensing is the idea that doing something altruistically means the doer feels less inhibited about future bad behavior.

    The two best pieces of advice were clawback bonuses and understanding marginal benefits. The former pays a bonus upfront and then claws it back if a metric is not met which takes advantage of people’s aversion to loss. The latter asks that each additional amount of resources spent have a payoff commensurate to other alternatives. While this sounds obvious, how often do companies waste time squeezing the last bit of juice out of an established idea rather than reallocating to more promising possibilities?
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I finally finished #thevoltageeffect by John List. This is an excellent book, and a great companion piece to ”Influence is Your Super Power” by Zoe Chance. John is a world-class behavioral economist with broad experience in higher education, government, and industry. In this book, John draws on his research to tell us why some ideas scale and why some fail.

    The book is divided into two parts. The first part examines five fundamental reasons why an idea/product/project will fail to scale. And part two examines four secrets to scaling. Both parts are equally important. And both underscore the power of economics and behavioral approach to contemplating scale. But of the two, I like part two the most. A behavioral focus on culture, why it’s important, and how to build a good one, is unique and eyeopening. You will also learn why EOE state,ents may discourage diverse candidates from applying. Why quitting early and often may be the smartest move of all. And why any business, government agency, and nonprofit should allocate resources by carefully examining marginal costs and benefits. Throughout, John argues for constant experimentation.

    This is not a typical book by a typical economist. It is immediately readable and broadly applicable. I highly recommend “The Voltage Effect.” And when you finish that, pick up “Influence is Your Superpower.”
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I found John List's new book, The Voltage Effect an insightful and thoroughly enjoyable read for three reasons:

    1. John is a refreshingly rare and different breed of academic economist, far more dedicated to applying economic theory to solve complex, real business and societal problems, than to devising mathematically and theoretically elegant but impractical solutions, decoupled from real-world application

    2. His numerous examples help make the key concepts literally jump off the page. Case in point, the saga of KMart's Blue Light Special program delivered a bitingly funny indictment of corporate HQ overreach everywhere.

    3. Bottom line, List's advice on the do’s and don’ts of scaling businesses and government policy initiatives provides valuable and eminently actionable guidelines for corporate execs and government policymakers.

    And the icing on the cake is John's breezy and unpretentious writing style, which turns a book grounded in economic theory into a page-turner for general audiences.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Alain
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent produit
    Reviewed in Canada on February 12, 2023
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    EXCELLENT INSPIRING
  • Adhiraj Dwivedi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Book - Book of the Year!
    Reviewed in India on August 7, 2022
    Every year you read a book, which makes you feel that your horizons have been expanded. This book qualifies for that.

    Would strongly recommend to everyone in the field of Economics or with a general interest in the life around you and wanting to make a change.
  • Ana
    5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best researched books
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2023
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The type of book i'd go back to over and over again to learn and apply how to develop scalable programs and products. The stories and examples are so relevant
  • metametax
    5.0 out of 5 stars Book sent in good condition as advertised by merchant
    Reviewed in Japan on April 1, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Book sent in good condition as advertised by merchant
  • SG
    5.0 out of 5 stars packed with wonderful ideas for workplace and life
    Reviewed in India on February 20, 2022
    a very effective reference book if you are starting a large scale project or organization. some of the advices such as when to quit, when to scale, whether to scale, bygone principle, thinking at the margins, clawback, are just some true gospel to design programs and policies.