Pirates aren’t a girl’s best friend
Economists are.
Economists can study pirates though. Peter T. Leson from George Mason University has published two papers and is working on a third legitimately studying pirates from an Austrian Economists perspective. (Actually read this link on Austrian Economists if you want a more concise explanation.)
An-arrgh-chy: The Law and Economics of Pirate Organization (which I haven’t had a chance to read yet)
Pirational Choice: The Economics of Infamous Pirate Practices. (which I am in the process of reading and which is very good)
and the work in progress:
The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates, History’s Most Notorious Criminals - Abstract (this abstract makes this paper look to be the best of the three…and it’s short for your poor attention spans)