A proposed new definition of macroeconomics

Krugman on Skidelsky's proposed definition of macro:
[M]acroeconomics should be defined as the field that studies those areas of economic life in which irreducible uncertainty, uncertainty that cannot be tamed with statistics, dominates.
Krugman gives the impression that he disagrees with this definition.  I hope he disagrees.  Sheesh.  This definition could apply to almost any field of economics.

Although an increasing number of economists are becoming wedded to the idea that the only kind of empiricism that should be done in economics involves randomized controlled experiments or nearly ideal natural experiments, for which uncertainty can more-or-less be statistically quantified in an objective manner (Heckman might disagree), this is still the minority.  While I appreciate experiments and natural experiments, I find other kinds of modeling and empiricism valuable, and so do, I suspect, most economists of all stripes.

Still, this looks like an interesting book.  Let's see if it's on Kindle...

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nonlinear Temperature Effects Indicate Severe Damages to U.S. Crop Yields Under Climate Change

Commodity Prices and the Fed