4 Responses to “Current Events”

1. 1 1 nobody.really
   October 15, 2019 at 1:50 pm

   Not a universal assessment. David Henderson and Lant Prichett each argue that if your goal is alleviating poverty, the most powerful remedies are indisputably MACROeconomic: promote economic growth.

   True, GDP doesn’t capture everything you care about. But evidence shows that it correlates with everything you care about more than just about anything else. So seek ye first the kingdom of GDP growth, and all other things will be added unto you as well.

   It’s great that people develop rigorously controlled trials to test precisely which type of icing best adds height to the cake. But if height is what you’re after, forget the icing and study cake.

2. 2 2 F. E. Guerra-Pujol
   October 19, 2019 at 8:52 pm

   I agree with “nobody”; also, while we’re at it, the best way to help the poor is to eliminate all forms of occupational licensure.

3. 3 3 iceman
   October 30, 2019 at 10:44 am

   #2 – agreed
   https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=stossel+africa+entrepreneurship&view=detail&mid=6614EF7ABEABF7BA71686614EF7ABEABF7BA7168&FORM=VIRE

4. 4 4 Zachary Taylor
   November 8, 2019 at 2:48 am

   @nobody:

   1. The fact that GDP growth “correlates with everything you care about more than just about anything else” in observational data does not mean that interventions which increase GDP growth will increase other variables we care about.

   2. The problem is often not economic knowledge, but actually getting policymakers to act. Henderson’s critique doesn’t account for this. Getting policymakers to make reforms is easier when there are quantifiable, concrete gains.