Paul Feldman
Encyclopedia
Paul Feldman is the "Bagel Man" mentioned in Freakonomics
by Levitt and Dubner, a man who started his own business selling bagel
s instead of pursuing his old occupation as Director of non-defense research at the Center for Naval Analyses
. He would leave bagels next to a box with a slit in the top in an office building, leaving a sign asking whoever took a bagel to give money in return.
His bagel selling statistics about how often people stole bagels have been used to determine white collar crime.
Feldman has an undergraduate degree
in agriculture and a master's degree in agricultural economics
from Cornell University
. He went on to the PhD
program in economics at MIT but never finished his thesis
, leaving in 1962 to work at the Center For Naval Analyses in Arlington, Virginia. In later jobs, he worked on the Program Evaluation Staff of the US Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management and Budget), at the Institute for Defense Analysis, as a consultant on a National Security Council
study of the military draft, and as Deputy Executive Director on the staff of The President's Commission on Federal Statistics. His last employment before starting his bagel business, from 1971 to 1985, was as director of The Public Research Institute of the Center For Naval Analyses which focused on economic studies of government non-defense policies.
Freakonomics
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything is a 2005 non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book has been described as melding pop culture with economics, but has also been described as...
by Levitt and Dubner, a man who started his own business selling bagel
Bagel
A bagel is a bread product, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior...
s instead of pursuing his old occupation as Director of non-defense research at the Center for Naval Analyses
Center for Naval Analyses
CNA's Center for Naval Analyses is a federally funded research and development center for the Navy and the Marine Corps. It also provides research and analysis services to other military and government agencies to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of U.S...
. He would leave bagels next to a box with a slit in the top in an office building, leaving a sign asking whoever took a bagel to give money in return.
His bagel selling statistics about how often people stole bagels have been used to determine white collar crime.
Feldman has an undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
in agriculture and a master's degree in agricultural economics
Agricultural economics
Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock — a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. It focused on maximizing the crop yield while maintaining a good soil...
from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. He went on to the PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
program in economics at MIT but never finished his thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
, leaving in 1962 to work at the Center For Naval Analyses in Arlington, Virginia. In later jobs, he worked on the Program Evaluation Staff of the US Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management and Budget), at the Institute for Defense Analysis, as a consultant on a National Security Council
United States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
study of the military draft, and as Deputy Executive Director on the staff of The President's Commission on Federal Statistics. His last employment before starting his bagel business, from 1971 to 1985, was as director of The Public Research Institute of the Center For Naval Analyses which focused on economic studies of government non-defense policies.