A Book Review by Professor James Kwak
The Economists’ Hour
False Prophets, Free Markets, and the Fracture of Society
By Binyamin Appelbaum (New York Times)
The book introduces us to the economists whose novel ideas persuaded politicians to see the world differently: Jude Wanniski, for example, whose famous cocktail napkin memorialized Arthur Laffer’s eponymous curve (if tax rates are too high, tax revenue declines), which was adopted by Jack Kemp and motivated Ronald Reagan’s 1981 tax cut; and Jim Tozzi, who in the 1960s pioneered the cost-benefit analysis of regulation, which has since become the corporate sector’s most powerful weapon against government oversight.”
GW Legal Studies Research Paper
Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis
Editor’s Note (Dec. 16, 2019): If economists are going to sustain the role they play in the establishment of federal policy in general, and regulatory policy in particular, it is imperative that they appreciate the fundamentals of Administrative Law and participate in the discussions sponsored by its professional organizations. The processes inherent in Administrative Law provide a mechanism for ensuring that the views of all stakeholders are considered in a transparent manner.
Editor’s Note ( Jan. 23, 2020) A number of economists contacted us and stated nothing is new; economists have never been loved by many. There is a Big Band Classic performed by Harry James and Helen Forrest that addresses this matter, You Made Me Love You.
Editor’s Note ( Jan 24, 2020) CRE is at times is criticized for dwelling on historical events which should be examined in the course of developing regulatory strategies for today. Many argue that events of the distant past are seldom relevant to the hyper connectivity of stakeholders in the today’s environment. To that we respond; the current generation is not only the Me Too generation but also the Me Only generation.
