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Advice for Non-Economists (from Danny Rodrik)

Ten commandments for non-economists

1/ Economics is a collection of models with no predetermined conclusions; reject any arguments otherwise.

2/ Do not criticise an economist’s model because of its assumptions; ask how the results would change if certain problematic assumptions were more realistic.

3/ Analysis requires simplicity; beware of incoherence that passes itself off as complexity.

4/ Do not let maths scare you; economists use maths not because they’re smart, but because they’re not smart enough.

5/ When an economist makes a recommendation, ask what makes him/her sure the underlying model applies to the case at hand.

6/ When an economist uses the term ‘economic welfare’, ask what s/he means by it.

7/ Beware that an economist may speak differently in public than in the seminar room.

8/ Economists don’t (all) worship markets, but they know better how they work than you do.

9/ If you think all economists think alike, attend one of their seminars.
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10/ If you think economists are especially rude to noneconomists, attend one of their seminars.
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