The process seems even more magical when you’re one of the wizards. I go to class and talk to students about my exotic interests: everything from the market for marriage, to the economics of the Mafia, to the self-interested voter hypothesis. At the end of the semester, I test their knowledge. As far as I can tell, the only marketable skill I teach is “how to be an economics professor.” Yet employers seemingly disagree. Anyone who’s not dumbstruck should be. Do students need to understand the market for marriage, the economics of the Mafia, or the self-interested voter hypothesis to be a
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