Works like a Charm

Breaks the spell of economic thought by interrogating the widespread language and logic of "incentives" in public life from a Lacanian perspective. Works like a Charm addresses a simple question: Why are "incentives" everywhere now? From inducements to work harder at our jobs to tax rebates for corporations, "incentive" names a general theory of motivation-according to economists, we are incentive-driven creatures. Yet far from being a neutral generalization, this understanding of human behavior