Foreign Policy: Economist Class

"Anthropologists, some economists jest, believe that the plural of anecdote is “data.” " Oh my, aren't we terribly clever. I actually rather like it, although my own writing and analysis style would certainly be the butt of this joke--I love anecdotes as a form of analytical data.

Foreign Policy: Economist Class: "A survey published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives found that 77 percent of the doctoral candidates in the leading departments in the United States believe that "economics is the most scientific of the social sciences." It turns out, however, that this certitude does not stem from how well they regard their own discipline but rather from their contempt for the other social sciences. Although they were nearly unanimous about the relative superiority of their profession, only 9 percent of the respondents were convinced that economists agree on fundamental issues."

This article is funny in a very dry way, and makes some very powerful points about the study of economics. Worth a read, from the editor in chief. Lines up nicely with my own sentiments re such rubbish as Freakonomics.