Academic

Paul Krugman

By Gordon Smith, Christine, Hurt, Vic Fleischer, Fred Tung, Lisa Fairfax, David Zaring

Everyone seems to be linking to Tyler Cowen for thoughts on Paul Krugman's Nobel Prize in Economics. Tyler offers a nice summary of Krugman's accomplishments and a nifty pocket interpretation of the award: "This was definitely a 'real world' pick and a nod in the direction of economists who are engaged in policy analysis and writing for the broader public." That's the sort of thing you can use at a cocktail party.

I don't have much to add, other than the fact that I used to read Krugman's books. In fact, I was reading Peddling Prosperity: Economic Sense and Nonsense in the Age of Diminished Expectations when I decided to become an academic. My wife saw me reading the book and asked about it. When I told her what it was, she said something like, "you need to become a law professor." Or maybe that's just what I heard. Maybe she really said, "you are a geek."

Anyway, Krugman was fun to read back then. I find his NYT columns less interesting because I don't enjoy reading overtly political commentary as much as veiled political commentary.

Full post as published by Conglomerate on October 13, 2008 (boomark / email).