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>Good straw man, but most economists are left-wing academics who chose a low-paying career track despite having the most marketable degree in the world. Wait.

>Good straw man, but most economists are left-wing academics who chose a low-paying career track despite having the most marketable degree in the world. Wait. Is that a serious sentence?

cynicalkane 12y ago
Surveys consistently find academic economists to average left-wing. I had thought economics degrees were also the highest-paying (at 75k if I remember correctly) but apparently this has been outstripped by a few engineering disciplines, particularly petroleum, in the last few years. I edited my post. However, having an economics degree is still a good way to make money and academia not a good way to make money. The point is people stereotype research economists as corporate shills or something, when they tend to be left-wing and most research economists consciously gave up money to work in academia.
- crdoconnor 12y ago
  >The point is people stereotype research economists as corporate shills or something, when they tend to be left-wing They tend to poll Democrat more than Republican, but that certainly doesn't mean that they're left wing or anti-corporate. Quite the opposite in fact. There is a near unanimity on the benefits of CAFTA, NAFTA and immigration, for instance. Also against government ownership of enterprise. http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/klein/PdfPapers/KS_PublCh06.pdf http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/klein/PdfPapers/KS_PublCh06.pdf
  - icebraining 12y ago
    There's nothing inherently right-wing about being pro-immigration or against State ownership of enterprise (or against the State in general, in fact).
    - crdoconnor 12y ago
      What is right wing or left wing is a complete red herring in the context of this discussion. Both are highly subjective, ultimately rather meaningless and are subject to the issue of "shifting goalposts". What's decried is nearly communist in the US is hard-right wing for most of the rest of the world. Pro-corporate/anti-corporate is more meaningful. And yes, it is inherently pro corporate to be pro immigration and against state ownership of enterprise. Both are incredibly pro corporate stances in fact.

>Good straw man, but most economists are left-wing academics who chose a low-paying career track despite having the most marketable degree in the world. Wait. Is that a serious sentence?

cynicalkane 12y ago

Surveys consistently find academic economists to average left-wing. I had thought economics degrees were also the highest-paying (at 75k if I remember correctly) but apparently this has been outstripped by a few engineering disciplines, particularly petroleum, in the last few years. I edited my post. However, having an economics degree is still a good way to make money and academia not a good way to make money. The point is people stereotype research economists as corporate shills or something, when they tend to be left-wing and most research economists consciously gave up money to work in academia.

crdoconnor 12y ago
>The point is people stereotype research economists as corporate shills or something, when they tend to be left-wing They tend to poll Democrat more than Republican, but that certainly doesn't mean that they're left wing or anti-corporate. Quite the opposite in fact. There is a near unanimity on the benefits of CAFTA, NAFTA and immigration, for instance. Also against government ownership of enterprise. http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/klein/PdfPapers/KS_PublCh06.pdf http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/klein/PdfPapers/KS_PublCh06.pdf
- icebraining 12y ago
  There's nothing inherently right-wing about being pro-immigration or against State ownership of enterprise (or against the State in general, in fact).
  - crdoconnor 12y ago
    What is right wing or left wing is a complete red herring in the context of this discussion. Both are highly subjective, ultimately rather meaningless and are subject to the issue of "shifting goalposts". What's decried is nearly communist in the US is hard-right wing for most of the rest of the world. Pro-corporate/anti-corporate is more meaningful. And yes, it is inherently pro corporate to be pro immigration and against state ownership of enterprise. Both are incredibly pro corporate stances in fact.