I’m back

For various reasons I have been unable to blog for almost three years. But now I'm back.

It would be an understatement to say I have missed a lot. Not only the Great Recession and the not-so-great recovery, but all the fun and games in the Eurozone as well. Regulators are flexing their muscles, central banks have gone all 'unconventional' on us, European politicians are still struggling to find a lasting solution to their problems, American politics is as polarised as it's ever been, Japan is finally showing signs of recovering from its earthquake and tsunami, and China looks like it might just pull off a soft landing. Interesting times.

Economics, meanwhile, is in a right old mess. Like most of my economist colleagues I missed the warning signs, so owe you all a mea culpa. As a profession we have a lot to be humble about. It's clearly time to rethink many of the assumptions, models and verities that we once held to be true.

I don't have all the right answers, but I hope to pose some of the right questions over coming weeks and months, contributing in my own small way to the Great Economic Rethink. Along with more regular features and commentary, of course.

A word of thanks to the master econobloggers (Mark Thoma, Tyler Cowen, Brad Delong et al) and countless others who have written so many great posts in recent years. Particularly gratifying has been the number of leading academic economists who have joined the fray. Welcome!

When I get the time I will also update my blogroll, clean up the thousands of spam comments on the site, and perform other necessary site housekeeping.

Stay tuned.

Comments

[Ben Shomshor]

Welcome back.

[Jorge Moromisato]

Indeed, economists have lots to be modest about. However, it is not just about the recent and ongoing financial crisis, but mostly about the failure of economics to solve the centuries old problems of poverty, unemployment, business cycles, gross inequality, etc.
Mainstream economists—not to mention those at the periphery—disagree fundamentally about crucial issues such as balanced budget, taxation, monetary policy, foreign trade, public programs, etc. If medicine were in the same state of confusion as economics is today, the plague, smallpox, and other old diseases would still be rampant, and the outbreak of any infectious disease would paralyze the nation. Physicians would be wringing their hands trying to convince the rest of the people that those things are beyond human control; while the quacks would be enriching themselves by selling ineffective or even harmful remedies.
The economics discipline has degenerated to such extremes that it is now impossible to tell a quack from a serious economist.
I am trying to start a movement to reform economics--Reformation-E. Please join.
My website: REIDenver.org

Jorge Moromisato
Founder/Director
Reformed Economics Institute
[email protected]

[Account Deleted]

welcome back New Economist..