Scroogenomics

Scroogenomics is a non-fiction book written by the economist Joel Waldfogel.

Overview
In his book Waldfogel argues that purchasing gifts for other people is a "terrible way to allocate resources" as a result of gift givers' lack of knowledge of the recipients' true preferences. Waldfogel estimates that approximately $12 billion a year in the U.S. and $25 billion a year worldwide is misallocated in Yuletide giftgiving, which he calls "an orgy of wealth destruction".