What Do Economists Contribute? (Early Modern History: Society and Culture (Paperback))

Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Notes on the Contributors......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 14 1 Introduction: What Do Economists Contribute?......Page 18 2 On the Role of Values in the Work of Economists......Page 44 3 Economists and Public Policy......Page 50 4 On the Decline of Authority of Economists......Page 70 5 'Realism' in Policy Espousal......Page 86 6 How To Do Well While Doing Good!......Page 104 7 The Common Weal and Economic Stories......Page 122 8 What Do Economists Know?......Page 136 9 Economists and the Correction of Error......Page 142 10 On Being an Economist......Page 150 Recommended Works on the Economics Profession and on Being an Economist......Page 168 P......Page 172 W......Page 173 About the Cato Institute......Page 174 The title of this book raises a provocative question that should make all economists think. What is our raison d'etre? Only a few economists have specifically addressed the issue. Several of the more challenging efforts are included here. Do economists have much influence on government policy, particularly over, say, five or ten years? Is that because they don't try hard enough or is it because politicians care more about the next election than about the opinion of economists? In this splendid collection, some published as long ago as the 1930s, nine great economists consider these questions