[OPE-L] Heterodoxy

[Jurriaan Bendien <adsl675281@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Maybe Jim Craven's manifesto is well-intentioned, but politically speaking
it's unlikely to get many people on board, I would say. The way I learnt
about politics, is that you have to build some kind of bridge from where
people are really at, to where you want them to go. The way it reads, is
that neoclassical economists are a pack of morons, it's a sort of
declaration of war, so then effectively he wants people to sign up to saying
they're a pack of morons. And not many academics would do it, because in
real life they have to dialogue every day with people who think differently
from the way they do, and it's by no means clear that all neoclassical
economics is nonsense anyway (at least I don't think so, whatever my
criticisms). A manifesto is stronger, if it has a positive message about
something, i.e. we positively believe this, our concerns are such-and-such,
if you share this view, why not join us. So, as for myself, I would not sign
it (well, I am not a professional economist anyway).

Jurriaan