tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post1420639291292416094..comments2024-03-06T06:34:42.881-05:00Comments on EconoSpeak: The Irrelevance of Workers In Economic TheoryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-64148323434535053682008-09-23T10:38:00.000-04:002008-09-23T10:38:00.000-04:00This isn't at all surprising, given that the extre...This isn't at all surprising, given that the extremely naive model of homo economicus (let's just start with perfect information and utility maximization) is a rotten model for describing how people look for work or how they behave on the job.<BR/><BR/>Add to that the toxic relations at the academic level between the economics and the economic sociologists (who occupy the same campus but never speak to each other) and you get a pretty reasonable explanation for all this.<BR/><BR/>still unlearning most of my undergraduate degree,<BR/><BR/>EdEdward Vielmettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07421049499752624699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-2835820215419208202008-08-15T09:30:00.000-04:002008-08-15T09:30:00.000-04:00http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/ba...http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/bank-is-powerless-to-rescue-housing-king-warns-894703.html<BR/><BR/>I post this ref to the "Thunderer" as Rupert needs the money to buy the WSJ.....<BR/>The Bank of England clearly feels that humans including workers, have no place in economics, or perhaps it is merely declaring war on the middle (muddle?) classes? Perhaps by drawing attention to it, this ex {sorry but PROFANITY ALERT!} ...journalist... wants to raise the issue of housing for the slave classes. I suppose he wants them to have gradual inflation in that area as well? So they may avoid seemingly random dislocations that have family destroying effects? What next?Fungus the Photo!https://www.blogger.com/profile/14879977479841544025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-47020724550443746582008-08-11T00:07:00.000-04:002008-08-11T00:07:00.000-04:00Working conditions have a long and sordid history ...Working conditions have a long and sordid history in economic theory, as I tried to detail in my book "Markets and Mortality". If you think Kip Viscusi has the goods on working conditions, you can believe that economics really has this topic covered. Otherwise you may be stuck with me.Peter Dormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00093399591393648071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-11785770420409536122008-08-10T09:23:00.000-04:002008-08-10T09:23:00.000-04:00I think you would find similar neglect in other ar...I think you would find similar neglect in other areas as well. How many historians teach labor history?<BR/><BR/>How much time is devoted to the subject in the usual high school and college survey courses? <BR/><BR/>How many lawyers and law firms work on cases supporting worker's rights?<BR/><BR/>I claim that this is all an (indirect) result of the drop in union density in the US. Fewer union members, fewer people catering to their concerns.<BR/><BR/>Notice that there are no substantive discussions of labor issues on the campaign trail either. The card check bill going through congress is being pushed by the unions without the help of any other "liberal" groups concerned with social policy.<BR/><BR/>It's continually surprising to me that workers don't see the benefits of being organized. It's not like they don't have examples of Europe and earlier US history to draw upon.<BR/><BR/>Did I just say that after pointing that there is a deliberate effort to keep people in the dark about such matters? Oops!Robert D Feinmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11811511835460945217noreply@blogger.com