Unlearningecon

LATEST ARTICLES ( 43 )

• Yes, The Cambridge Capital Controversies Matter

  I rarely (never) post based solely on a quick thought or quote, but this just struck me as too good not to highlight. It’s from a book called ‘Capital as... Read more

  Posted on 03 February 2014 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

• Teaching Economics? Start with Key Contested Ideas

  How economics is taught has been the subject of a lot of debate recently. Although there have been a lot of good points made, in my opinion Andrew Lainton‘s... Read more

  Posted on 18 January 2014 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

• 2013: Year In Review

  

  Since posts have been scant recently (I have things coming up, promise!) I thought I’d do a standard “most popular posts” post. Read more

  Posted on 01 January 2014 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

• Pieria: How Conservative is Mainstream Economics?

  

  I have a new article in Pieria, arguing that the image of mainstream economists as rapid free-marketeers is not entirely without foundation: There is quite a... Read more

  Posted on 02 December 2013 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

• Not Ending the Blog

  

  This is just a quick post to let people know that I am not ending the blog. However, readers might have noticed posting has slowed down a bit recently (4 and 3... Read more

  Posted on 07 November 2013 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

• 18 Signs Economists Haven’t the Foggiest

  

  I’d like to thank Chris Auld for giving me a format for outlining the major reasons why economists can be completely out of touch with their public image, as... Read more

  Posted on 23 October 2013 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

• How Economics Sees Reality

  Something has been bothering me about the way evidence is (sometimes) used in economics and econometrics:  theories are assumed throughout interpretation of... Read more

  Posted on 13 October 2013 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

• Pieria: Straw Men and Marxism

  

  I’m in Pieria again, with a post that tries to outline Marxist theories and defend them from some of the weaker criticisms around: For many, Marxist theories... Read more

  Posted on 07 October 2013 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

• A Question for Economists

  

  Sincerely: do you believe your discipline has earned a status as a decider of policy? Which successes would you point to in order to highlight this? And how hav... Read more

  Posted on 30 September 2013 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

• Pieria: Introducing Post-Keynesian Economics

  

  My newest article at Pieria provides an overview of the post-Keynesian theories of consumers, producers, money/banking and trade: A common charge directed at... Read more

  Posted on 25 September 2013 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS

• Whig Theories of the History of Thought

  

  Yesterday, Paul Krugman had a post in which he pontificated on the Stock Flow Consistent (SFC) models of the economy generally used by Wynne Godley (and... Read more

  Posted on 14 September 2013

• On Pieria: Defending Lefty Books

  

  I’m in Pieria, taking a brief look at the (often contentious) debate surrounding three books: The Spirit Level, Chavs, and The Shock Doctrine. Read more

  Posted on 06 September 2013

• Economists Say The Funniest Things

  

  A short while ago, I tweeted that a show entitled “Economists Say the Funniest Things” – where economists opine on issues outside their domain – would make for... Read more

  Posted on 29 August 2013

• On Pieria: What’s Wrong With Economics?

  

  My latest article, trying to sum up the problems with economist’s approach – in 3 words, “it’s too narrow”: The question of whether mainstream (neoclassical)... Read more

  Posted on 22 August 2013

• Market Monetarism Jumps the Shark

  

  Seriously, what does this mean? The US economy is currently in equilibrium. It’s not a market-clearing equilibrium. It’s not a very good equilibrium. But it is... Read more

  Posted on 17 August 2013

• The Ideology of Doing Business

  

  What is the role of ideology in shaping how businesses go about their everyday operations? Generally, economic theories of the firm - particularly at... Read more

  Posted on 15 August 2013

• Monetarists Versus Money

  

  In my article on NGDP Targeting, I  argued  - among other things – that traditional monetary policy transmission mechanisms are now ineffective, and the... Read more

  Posted on 10 August 2013

• Pieria Article Against NGDP Targeting

  

  I’ve got a new article in Pieria, arguing against NGDPT: However, I believe – as in the bottom right section of the table – that NGDPT would actually be... Read more

  Posted on 09 August 2013

• My Favourite Quotes

  

  I’m feeling a bit lazy today, so instead of contributing some original content I’m going to offer up some of my favourite quotes. They get progressively leftier... Read more

  Posted on 05 August 2013

• Pieria Article On Capitalism Versus Socialism

  

  My latest on Pieria calls for a reconsideration of the simplistic ‘Berlin Wall’ narrative: In my opinion, this view rests on a highly selective interpretation o... Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2013