In search of a better grip on reality

["John Gelles" <indexed-savings@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Among the most ardent messages of the anti-war voice is that the plan for reconstruction in the aftermath of current fighting in the
region between Turkey and Pakistan is not credible -- Whose money? Whose form of governance? Whose model of political economy? Is
there a Keynesian Marshall plan in mind? Or a Thatcherian hope to put all that oil money to good use. A search for reality might
find some discussion of current economic crises in amongst our pkt proceedings.

John Gelles


----- Original Message -----
From: <phillp2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Tracy Lightcap" <tlightcap@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <pkt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2003 7:17 PM
Subject: Re: Why Heterodox are subject to be losers.


Interestingly, a few years ago a senior Canadian civil servant (who
will remain nameless but who is not in Finance or the BofC but a
labour market related department) told me that they tended to avoid
hiring economists because they were generally useless because
they knew little about how the labour market really worked and
their policy advice was generally worthless if not counterproductive.
He said they preferred to hire political scientists or sociologists
who had a better grip on reality.   Sad really.

Paul Phillips,
Economics,
University of Manitoba