It is hard to be sure, but in the absence of generations of economic education, changes like falling tariffs and privatization would probably have happened on a smaller scale, or not at all.76 But economists are in a peculiar situation: They correct public opinion not because market forces drive them to, but because market forces grant them the wiggle room to perform this function, if they are so inclined. This means that a great deal depends on the profession’s morale—how enthusiastically it accepts its responsibility.
