Lucky by Design

The Hidden Economics You Need to Get More of What You Want

By: Judd B. Kessler

Narrated by: Judd B. Kessler

Wharton economist and market designer Judd Kessler pulls back the curtain on hidden markets that determine who gets what in everyday life—and how to tip the scales in our favor.

What's the secret to scoring a reservation at a hot new restaurant? When should you enter a lottery to increase your odds of winning? Why did your neighbor's kid get into a nearby preschool while yours didn't? Who gets priority for a life-saving organ donation?

These outcomes are not a matter of luck. Instead, they depend on how we navigate hidden markets that arise to decide who gets what when many of us want something and there isn't enough to go around. Every day we play in these markets, yet few of us fully understand how they work.

In familiar markets, what we get depends on how much we're willing to pay. Hidden markets do not rely on prices: you can't buy your way into a better position. Instead, what you receive hinges on the rules by which the market operates, and the choices you make in them.

Judd Kessler has spent a career studying and designing these very markets. Now, he reveals the secrets of how they work, and how to maneuver in them. Whether you want to snag a coveted ticket, secure a spot in an oversubscribed college course, get better matches in the dating and job markets, do your fair share of the household chores (but no more), or more efficiently allocate your time and attention, this must-hear guide will show you how to get Lucky by Design.

©2025 Judd B. Kessler (P)2025 Recorded Books

I really wanted to like this book, but it feels lost in translation.

I guess my expectations of the topic and summary aren't met by what was actually included in the book. It's filled with very specific examples of how certain markets work, I'm getting lost in the trees, and can't see the forest.