How Should We Split the Pie?

What would you do with $100 if a stranger could veto your decision—and leave you both with nothing?

This simple question sparked a revolution in economics. When researchers began testing how people actually split resources, they discovered something shocking: we don't behave like the rational actors economists assumed. We reject "unfair" offers even when it costs us. We cooperate with strangers. We care deeply about how the pie is divided, not just the size of our slice.

How Should We Split the Pie? takes you inside the laboratory of human nature, from game show contestants to children and chimpanzees, from Wall Street to remote villages. Through ingenious experiments and real-world stories, it reveals the hidden psychology of fairness that shapes everything from restaurant bills to climate treaties, salary negotiations to surge pricing.

Why do we envy? When does generosity flourish? Can algorithms be fair? As AI systems increasingly decide who gets what, understanding the science of fairness has never been more urgent.

Your sense of what's fair isn't just a feeling—it's an economic force that shapes our world.