An economist I know just emailed me:
I anticipate participating in a survey project of a sample of AEA members.
Such a survey is an opportunity for throwing in extraneous questions of
interest.Can you think of question or two you think we should throw in? Your
thoughts and suggestions are most welcome.
Please share your suggestions in the comments.
Nov 19 2009
Paul DeGrauwe writes, My contention is that the rational expectations models are the intellectual heirs of these central planning models. Not in the sense that individuals in these rational expectations models aim at planning the whole, but in the sense that, as the central planner, they understand the whole picture. ...
Nov 19 2009
How can any economist - even Krugman - advocate job subsidies and work sharing? Krugman's answer is that it's a "third-best" solution. His top three:1. Sumnerian monetary policy. Seriously, but without the hat tip.2. More fiscal stimulus.3. Job subsidies and working sharing.His rationale is political:...
Nov 18 2009
An economist I know just emailed me:I anticipate participating in a survey project of a sample of AEA members. Such a survey is an opportunity for throwing in extraneous questions of interest. Can you think of question or two you think we should throw in? Your thoughts and suggestions are most welcome. Please share...
READER COMMENTS
Barry P. Cotter
Nov 18 2009 at 4:06pm
Is there any reason besides a desire to learn, or to make entry into a Ph.D. programme easier to do a Masters in economics that would not be better served by an alternative option?
Blackadder
Nov 18 2009 at 7:28pm
I’d be interested to learn the average economist’s opinion of net neutrality.
Nick J
Nov 18 2009 at 9:10pm
If any, what are your top 3 favorite economics blogs.
Phil Birnbaum
Nov 18 2009 at 9:32pm
What is the one finding or principle in economics that you believe is so strongly supported by evidence and logic that you’re shocked that so many other economists disagree with it?
liberty
Nov 19 2009 at 9:40am
Economists must make simplifying assumptions when building a model; however, are there any assumptions that you once accepted that you are now ashamed to have accepted (perhaps after seeing policies or countries collapse)?
Economics as a discipline in the 20th century has accepted many models containing unrealistic simplifying assumptions, because such models offered mathematical tractability, do you think this has helped the development of the science more, or hurt it more?
nels
Nov 19 2009 at 10:36am
“why didn’t you get a real job”
anon
Nov 19 2009 at 12:34pm
Questions I’d like to see:
— Should the government impose higher taxes on signaling goods, like diamonds?
— Do pigouvian taxes work in practice? (How good is the government at estimating the size of externalities?)
— Assuming global warming is problem, would a tax or a cap-and-trade system be more efficient?
sourcreamus
Nov 19 2009 at 1:17pm
It seems to me that the public at large overestimates the amount of controversy in the economics profession. Perhaps someone could write a book called the “One handed economist” summarizing what most economists agree on. The data from AEA survey would make the writing of such a book easier.
CJ Smith
Nov 19 2009 at 5:17pm
1. I second liberty’s question, and re-phrase it slightly:
What assumption or simplification made for the purpose of economic analysis do you believe is least unfounded, leading to a disparity between theoretical and actual results?
2. Do you believe there is any support to the proposition that government involvement in market processes should more properly be viewed as a three-sided equilibrium problem involving competing interests of suppliers, consumers and government, rather than a two party problem constrained or hindered by governmental action?
Steve Roth
Nov 21 2009 at 4:51pm
Does increased government spending/lower taxes during recessions, and decreased spending/higher taxes during expansions, result in faster long-term economic growth?
(This is common folk-economic wisdom, and certainly a widely held belief among economists, but to what extent/degree do economists really believe it?)
Alan Crowe
Nov 23 2009 at 12:52pm
In a fractional reserve banking system, what is the optimal reserve ratio to maximise the public benefit?
Comments are closed.