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Politically Impossible....?
LARGE PRINT EDITION! More at LargePrintLiberty.com.Should economists curb their rhetoric and prescriptions based on "political realities"? Should anyone attempt to conceal the truth about state intervention for fear of not fitting into the existing political culture?Many people answer yes to both questions, on grounds that taking a hard-core position in favor of freedom threatens to make one "irrelevant" or discredit the message.W.H. Hutt is one of the few economists who addressed these strategic questions directly. As one of the most eminent economists of the 20th century, and a colleague and friend of Mises's, he was very qualified to do so. The result is this monograph, which, though long out of print, ought to be considered a classic of economic literature.
- GenresEconomics
101 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 21, 2021
A call to honesty for economists.
Hutt argues that many economic policies considered "politically impossible" would actually become much more likely to be carried out if economists left party politics to the politicians and simply tried their best to explain the results of science free from those "pragmatic" assumptions.
The author argues that every compromise made by an economist in his counseling should be made completely explicit and that his economic argument should be separated from his political considerations.
Hutt then provides some examples of topics where economists were (and are) incapable of keeping their integrity through the political fog, and the consequences arising from that lack of courageous communication. Hutt is optimist that the people are able to understand what is in their best interest if only economists endeavored to clearly explain it to them, without treating them as children.
All in all, this is a very important book, that I suspect should be re-read every once in a while. It also seemed to me to be fairly within the Public Choice tradition. I might consider translating some parts of it into Portuguese.
Hutt argues that many economic policies considered "politically impossible" would actually become much more likely to be carried out if economists left party politics to the politicians and simply tried their best to explain the results of science free from those "pragmatic" assumptions.
The author argues that every compromise made by an economist in his counseling should be made completely explicit and that his economic argument should be separated from his political considerations.
Hutt then provides some examples of topics where economists were (and are) incapable of keeping their integrity through the political fog, and the consequences arising from that lack of courageous communication. Hutt is optimist that the people are able to understand what is in their best interest if only economists endeavored to clearly explain it to them, without treating them as children.
All in all, this is a very important book, that I suspect should be re-read every once in a while. It also seemed to me to be fairly within the Public Choice tradition. I might consider translating some parts of it into Portuguese.
October 11, 2014
Despite the years since publication this remains an outstanding book
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews