2/22 NYT op-ed on jobs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/23/opinion/23SAFI.html?hp
\- hello this is a far better article, especially for you
parochial, racist, formerly libertarian, nouvelle
protectionists. --psb
http://www.economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2454530
\_ Anyone who disagrees with you must be a racist and a
hick. Way to go Partha! That'll bring em over to your
way of thinking right quick! Come back agin, y'all!
\- i didnt say everyone who disagrees with me is
racist and a hick. by parochial i didnt mean
hick but more narrow minded. unable to see things
from other frames of reference. i am refering to
the people happy to let mfgr jobs go, buy foreign
shoes and textiles, didnt have an issue with
irish programmers or mexican farm workers, thought
the steel tarrifs were crazy, but now is having
second thoughts about free trade ... for thee but
not for me. --psb
\_ Well, I doubt they will have the patience for the
analysis on the Economist. It is far easier to
to appeal to the darker side of minds by rousing fear
and anger than invite them to reason. (Protect the
white virgins of this country from being outsourced!)
\_ Can someone explain to me what the contribution of an
economist is to society? From where I'm sitting, they
appear to be researchers who will tell you, yes, that's
cancer, and you're going to die, but won't bother
finding cures or vaccines.
\- a fair question is "what are some significant
contributions to policy formulation from economic
science". well econometric methods are useful if
you believe it is important to have "feedback"
data about the economy. a field like IO may be
usefulto analyze anti-trust issues ... or in general
analysing regulation. financial economists came
up with pricing models, securitization. there is
the threory of international trade and open econ
monetary theory, optimal currency areas etc.--psb
\_ So the purpose of an economist is to provide
insight into how to increase the size and
stability of the economy?
\- well simplifying a lot, normative econ =
how people should behave. descrive = how
people do behave. in the modern age people
would probably say something like "decision
making with an eye to information and
rationality" is at the core of economics
rather than just focusing on money and
production of goods and services. some
economists study crime, gun control,
arms control, addiction etc. --psb |