Carrots and Sticks- Unlock the Power of Incentives to Get Things Done

“‘Lord, give me chastity and continence, but not yet.’  Ian Ayres has developed the pathbreaking tools that resolve Saint Augustine's paradoxical prayer, brilliantly showing us how to escape self-defeating behavior and overcome the drive for instant gratification.” —David Laibson, Robert I. Goldman Professor of Economics, Harvard University 

"There are creative books, rigorous books, and useful books, but Carrots and Sticks is all three. It's fascinating and fun to read, and my abs are in great shape too—all thanks to Ian Ayres. Bravo." —Tim Harford, “The Undercover Economist”

"For about thirty years there has been increasing study of how people try to manage, and sometimes succeed in managing, their own behavior: smoking, eating, procrastinating, drinking, losing their temper, fears and phobias, games, fingernails . . . . The list goes on. Here is an entertaining report on one of the basic techniques of overcoming what the ancient Greeks called "weakness of will." All can enjoy it; many may discover it therapeutic."—Thomas C. Schelling, 2005 Nobel Laureate in Economics

"This brilliant book will help you outwit your greatest adversary: your future self. It will give you tools that can change your life."—Barry Nalebuff, co-author of The Art of Strategy

Ian Ayres is an economist and lawyer who is the William K. Townsend Professor at Yale Law School and a professor at Yale’s School of Management. He is a columnist for Forbes magazine and a regular contributor to theNew York Times Freakanomics blog. He served for seven years as the editor of the Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, and in 2006 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has previously written ten books, including Super Crunchers, which was a New York Times business bestseller and named one the Best Economics and Business Books of the Year by The Economist. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.