Gli economisti e il PD

La crisi dovrebbe insegnare un po' d'umiltà a noi economisti. Ma gli economisti sono come il Partito Democratico: non imparano, perché sono gli altri che non capiscono. E i colleghi economisti che stanno leggendo sappiano che se non sono d'accordo è perché si ostinano a non capire.

Dani Rodrik: "Contemporary economics in North America has one great weakness, and that is the excessive focus on methods at the expense of breadth in terms of social and historical perspective. PhD programs now train applied mathematicians and statisticians rather than real economists. To become a true economist, you need to do all sorts of reading – from history, sociology, and political science among other disciplines – that you are never required to do as a graduate student... There are powerful forces having to do with the sociology of the economics profession and the socialization process that tend to push economists to think alike. Most economists start graduate school not having spent much time thinking about social problems or having studied much else besides math and economics. The incentive and hierarchy systems tend to reward those with the technical skills rather than interesting questions or research agendas. An in-group versus out-group mentality develops rather early on that pits economists against other social scientists. All economists tend to imbue a set of values that tends to glorify the market and demonize public action."

What is wrong (and right) in economics?, 7 maggio 2013.