Why Most Things Fail argues that failure is the distinguishing feature of corporate life and uses it to link economic models with models of biological evolution. Inspired by advances in evolutionary theory and biology, author Paul Ormerod illuminates the ways in which companies and policy-setting sectors of government behave much like living organisms: unless they evolve, they die. But he also makes clear how desirable social and economic outcomes may be achieved when individuals, companies, and governments adapt in response to the actual behavior and requirements of their customers and constituents. Examining the "Iron Law of Failure" as it applies to business, economics, and government, this intriguing book explores the pervasive nature of failure in the world of human societies and economics.