pull down to refresh
42 sats \ 17 replies \ @TNStacker 2 Jul \ parent \ on: Robert Reich’s Blind Spots: The Elephant in the Progressive Left’s Room econ
If you have his cv you see a very long list of peer reviews publications of research in economics and public policy. But if you need a PhD in econ to satisfy you, you are right then.
I thought the work one does determined the profession, but I'm funny that way.
I didn't have his CV at the outset. I had heard that he wasn't trained in economics, which is all my point was.
It's not about satisfying me. There are plenty of PhD Economists who stink at economics, too. There are also plenty of people with no formal training who think about economics really clearly.
Professional training shapes how people approach problems and from what I've seen Reich doesn't really think like an economist. I'd describe him as a political scientist who works on economic topics.
reply
You can't research public policy without economics. It is the foundation.
reply
You absolutely can and many do. These are distinct fields with distinct methodologies.
reply
Public Policy incorporates Econ. Duke lists it first when describing their program.
Duke’s PhD in Public Policy is distinguished by its truly interdisciplinary nature. The program offers a unique balance of depth in a discipline such as:
economics
political science
psychology
sociology
Most "top" unis are very similar.
reply
And economics incorporates mathematics and political science, but I don't consider myself to be either a mathematician or a political scientist.
reply
But you are projecting your situation onto others. Using your example, I know many mathematicians who are software engineers. But I guess you can deny it. It is still true.
reply
I'm saying that "incorporating" economics into a program does not make those who finish it economists.
He's not a trained economist and he's not a professional economist. I'm not sure in what sense I'm supposed to think that he is an economist.
He seems like a political scientist or public policy expert who specializes on labor. That's a similar profession to labor economist, but it isn't the same thing.
reply
Agree to disagree. However, I now understand and respect that your position is personal.