Tony Lawson (Cambridge): Mathematical Modelling and Ideology in the Economics Academy: Competing Explanations of the Failings of the Modern Discipline? From EJPE, Catherine Herfeld interviews Gary Becker; David Howden reviews Handbook on Contemporary Austrian Economics, ed. Peter J. Boettke; and Daniel Little reviews The End of Value-free Economics, ed. Hilary Putnam and Vivian Walsh. From Monthly Review, a special issue on the critique of economics. From Vox, what’s the use of economics? Diane Coyle begins a debate. Economics in denial: Four years into the worst financial crisis in 80 years, it is not at all clear that a majority of the economics profession has drawn relevant lessons for their models of markets and prices. Where free-market economists go wrong: Subsidies, stimulus, regulations, protectionism, trade restrictions, government-bank collusion, zoning, bailouts and more do not equal a "free" market. Empirics and psychology: Eight of the world’s top young economists discuss where their field is going. Steven Horowitz on the empirics of Austrian economics. Seth Kaplan on the problems with economists: they don’t understand development. Bernanke to economists: More philosophy, please. Can a comic book make economics — the “dismal science” — fun, and understandable?
