JC Footy Genius
Bringer of TRUTH
- Jun 9, 2015
- 10,568
I agree - and lots of people in the economics world were slightly surprised by the IFS conclusions this time, for this reason - and yes, in so far as they haven't taken fully into account the kind of macro-impacts that Wren-Lewis talks about, then their analysis of the Tory manifesto would also be affected (but the error would be bigger in the case of the Labour manifesto, as the Labour policy approach relies more on stimulating investment spending through deficit financing.
I don't disagree with your criticism of economists either (and I am one), as the economics profession hasn't covered itself in glory in recent years. Nevertheless, there is a degree of economic illiteracy in the debate at the moment, and the fallacy, propagated massively in the Thatcher years, that you can (and should) apply the same principles of running a household or family budget, to running the economy of the country seems to be re-emerging (with all this stuff about there not being a 'magic money tree'). I know you won't like it, because it's in the Guardian, but this bloke (a Cambridge economist this time) is 'on the money' (sorry) as far as I'm concerned.
https://www.theguardian.com/comment...-money-british-voters-economy-britain-welfare
Economists probably serve many useful functions and they are well represented on NSC but their predictive powers re political-economic outcomes are generally woeful which makes me wonder why we even bother taking their predictions seriously. Differing Brexit negotiation outcomes would render their current predictions meaningless.
Completely agree the analogy of family finances to the economy is simplistic but is does strike a chord with voters. But it is a fact that Corbyn and his fellow travellers are proposing a seismic shift in policy direction with a huge increase in spending with highly dubious sources of reliable income. I have yet to hear a convincing argument how Corbyn/McDonnell could achieve this. I suspect the Labour manifesto was drawn up to promise all things to all people to shore up the Labour vote/avert disaster thanks to a p*ss poor Tory campaign it has gone beyond that.