Originalmente publicado no blog da Britannica:
Economists have a bad reputation for disagreeing with each other. As Paul Samuelson once wrote, “According to legend, economists are supposed never to agree among themselves. If Parliament were to ask six economists for an opinion, seven answers would come back — two, no doubt, from the volatile Mr. Keynes!” In fact, economists’ image problem goes deeper. Even as individuals, economists have a bad reputation for failing to reach any definite conclusions; hence Harry Truman’s famous wish for a “one-handed economist” who could not say “on the one hand … on the other hand.”
Hard as it is to believe, though, neither reputation is accurate. As I show in my new book, The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies, the best survey data indicate that economists converge on a long list of unpopular positions. Compared to the general public, economists think that markets work very well, that economic interaction with foreigners makes us better off, that saving labor is a good idea, and that the economy is doing well and getting better.
While detractors of the economics profession often attribute these contrarian views to economists’ privileged lifestyle and “right-wing” outlook, the data say otherwise. The typical economist has a high income and a lot of job security, but still sharply disagrees with equally well-off non-economists. Furthermore, despite the “right-wing” reputation, the typical economist is a moderate Democrat. He just happens to be a moderate Democrat who thinks that supply-and-demand governs prices, welcomes foreign competition, and sees the upside of downsizing.
So how did economists get their undeserved reputation? The media bear some of the blame. On any issue, journalists try their darndest to find two economists who disagree and put them on the air. But in the end, I believe that economists themselves are largely responsible for the way the public misperceives them. Even though economists know that laymen deeply misunderstand their subject, economists hate to be blunt about it. They hate to get to the point. And above all, they hate to simplify complex issues - even when the alternative is communicating nothing at all.
The upshot is that when economists get a chance to address a broader audience, they usually wimp out. Although they are convinced that free trade is wise policy, for example, economists prefer to bury that conclusion in qualifications. “What if another economist is listening, and I forget to mention the ‘terms of trade argument’?” (Don’t ask).
The result is that when economists get a chance to communicate with the public - and push policy in a better direction, their audience usually misses the point. And if you listen to enough economists, and fail to figure out what they are talking about, isn’t it natural to conclude that these “experts” can’t agree - or even make up their minds?"
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