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Economist as Preacher, and Other Essays
Book by Stigler, George J.
- GenresEconomics
259 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
George J. Stigler
35 books40 followersGeorge Joseph Stigler was a U.S. economist. He won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1982, and was a key leader of the Chicago School of Economics, along with his close friend Milton Friedman.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 12, 2024
A COLLECTION OF POPULAR ESSAYS BY A NOBEL PRIZE WINNER
George Joseph Stigler (1911-1991) was an American economist, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1982, and was a key leader of the Chicago School of Economics.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1982 collection of essays, "Almost all of the essays in this volume are concerned with questions of intellectual influence. What are the influences that determine which problems the members of a science work on, and how they will deal with them? How do the work and views of scientists influence their societies? My scientists are naturally all economists, but the questions are pervasive."
Since "History is written by and for the educated classes," he suggests that while we cannot determine from direct documentary evidence what the attitudes of the lower classes toward laissez-faire were, "it is an hypothesis that is plausible to me and I hope tenable to you that these lower classes... have been strongly attracted to the economic regime of laissez-faire capitalism." (Pg. 30) By contrast, it is the intellectuals who are "the beneficiaries of the expansion of the economic role of government." (Pg. 33)
In his essay, "Do Economists Matter?" Stigler states that "My central thesis is that economists exert a very minor and scarcely detectable influence on the societies in which they live." (Pg. 63) He later points out that on a number of policy issues---shop closing hours, pure food and drug inspection, municipal utilities, transportation, labor unions, etc.---"we shall find that as a rule economists did not write on the issue... or otherwise participate in policy formulation." (Pg. 129)
In one of the last essays, he says that the literature of economics perhaps is read "by a number of economists only moderately larger than the number of writers... if the literature were irrevocably destroyed, most of it would utterly perish from human knowledge." (Pg. 223)
Stigler's self-effacing style make this an interesting collection, although it certainly is not one of his "major" economics works.
George Joseph Stigler (1911-1991) was an American economist, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1982, and was a key leader of the Chicago School of Economics.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1982 collection of essays, "Almost all of the essays in this volume are concerned with questions of intellectual influence. What are the influences that determine which problems the members of a science work on, and how they will deal with them? How do the work and views of scientists influence their societies? My scientists are naturally all economists, but the questions are pervasive."
Since "History is written by and for the educated classes," he suggests that while we cannot determine from direct documentary evidence what the attitudes of the lower classes toward laissez-faire were, "it is an hypothesis that is plausible to me and I hope tenable to you that these lower classes... have been strongly attracted to the economic regime of laissez-faire capitalism." (Pg. 30) By contrast, it is the intellectuals who are "the beneficiaries of the expansion of the economic role of government." (Pg. 33)
In his essay, "Do Economists Matter?" Stigler states that "My central thesis is that economists exert a very minor and scarcely detectable influence on the societies in which they live." (Pg. 63) He later points out that on a number of policy issues---shop closing hours, pure food and drug inspection, municipal utilities, transportation, labor unions, etc.---"we shall find that as a rule economists did not write on the issue... or otherwise participate in policy formulation." (Pg. 129)
In one of the last essays, he says that the literature of economics perhaps is read "by a number of economists only moderately larger than the number of writers... if the literature were irrevocably destroyed, most of it would utterly perish from human knowledge." (Pg. 223)
Stigler's self-effacing style make this an interesting collection, although it certainly is not one of his "major" economics works.
August 30, 2014
I really liked the first part of the book, good second section, third part not so much as the subject matter has been superceded.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews