International Law

Thinking Economists

Greg Mankiw, an economist at Harvard, answers the following question from David Brooks:

"I was having dinner with a journalist last night and he mentioned that he was finding that many of his best sources on the crisis teach at B schools, not Econ Departments."

Mankiw answers as follows:

I don't know of any hard data to establish whether journalists are more likely to cite economists in business schools than those in economics departments, but I can believe it might be the case.

I know a lot of economists in both places, and I think it is true that, on average, economists in business schools have a more practical and empirical approach to the field than do those in economics departments.

Hmm, the obvious answer should have been: a) economists still cannot tell you what caused the Great Depression, b) nobody cares about casual explanations in economics, and c) the best story tellers are to be found in business schools.

Full post as published by Misleading Advertising Law on June 02, 2009 (boomark / email).