The opening of Krugman's paper is wonderful (though it has nothing to do with interstellar trade): "Many critics of conventional economics have argued, with co

The opening of Krugman's paper is wonderful (though it has nothing to do with interstellar trade): "Many critics of conventional economics have argued, with considerable justification, that the assumptions underlying neoclassical theory bear little resemblance to the world we know. These critics have, however, been too quick to assert that this shows that mainstream economics can never be of any use. Recent progress in the technology of space travel, as well as the prospects of the use of space for energy production and colonization (O’Neill 1976) make this assertion doubtful; for they raise the distinct possibility that we may eventually discover or construct a world to which orthodox economic theory applies."