Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society 20 (3):291-311 (2008)
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Abstract |
From Mill to, most recently, Bryan Caplan, political and economic elites have been seen as the solution to the public’s ignorance and incompetence. In order to show that elites are actually more competent than the public, however, we would have to find out what type of knowledge is necessary to enact good public policy. The empirical evidence shows that economic experts have a slight advantage over the general public in knowledge of how to achieve policy goals. But, contrary to Caplan, the evidence indicates that economists don’t possess significant predictive knowledge, and that general economic laws are of little help in predicting the magnitude of the effects of a specific policy in a multi‐variable, complex world. When we adopt a more complex understanding of the reasons behind policy choice, and consider rules and principles in addition to goal pursuit, the slight edge of economic experts evaporates
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Reprint years | 2009 |
DOI | 10.1080/08913810802503467 |
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References found in this work BETA
Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases.Daniel Kahneman, Paul Slovic & Amos Tversky (eds.) - 1982 - Cambridge University Press.
Sentimental Rules: On the Natural Foundations of Moral Judgment.Shaun Nichols - 2004 - Oxford University Press.
The Grammar of Society: The Nature and Dynamics of Social Norms.Cristina Bicchieri - 2005 - Cambridge University Press.
On the Psychology of Prediction.Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky - 1973 - Psychological Review 80 (4):237-251.
View all 37 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
Political Disagreement and Minimal Epistocracy.Adam F. Gibbons - 2021 - Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy 19 (2).
Democracy Despite Ignorance: Questioning the Veneration of Knowledge in Politics.Simon T. Kaye - 2015 - Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society 27 (3-4):316-337.
The Choice of Efficiencies and the Necessity of Politics.Michael Bennett - 2020 - Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy:1-20.
Global Egalitarianism as a Practice-Independent Ideal.Merten Reglitz - 2011 - Dissertation, University of Warwick
Reply to My Critics.Bryan Caplan - 2008 - Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society 20 (3):377-413.
View all 7 citations / Add more citations
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