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It's a useful indicator of the way the winds of change are blowing through the corridors of power.

Yes.  I've noticed the swing that's occurred at the Bank of Sweden in recent years.  Some of the recent ones were given out, I suspect, for fear that this or that person would die prior to winning, but we've had Stiglitz, Akerlof, Phelps, and now Krugman.  Sweden is always a little behind the times, but it just confirms that things are turning away from the Friedmanites and the other neoclassical schools.

It's also, along with New Trade Theory, probably a nod to Krugman's stuff written for the masses (Peddling Prosperity, Age of Diminished Expectations, etc).  Krugman one of the few who can actually explain things in a way that the typical person can understand.

Probably a bit of a "Fuck You" to Bush in the midst of a banking crisis as well.

Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin

by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Mon Oct 13th, 2008 at 10:41:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
So... Krugman for SecTreas? :)

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Mon Oct 13th, 2008 at 10:50:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
He has written that he is pathologically unsuited for the job.

It would make it hard to get a proper nomination process.

He would have been a fantastic one though, I'm sure. Not least for his apparent uncorruptibility.

"The womb that spawned that thing is fertile yet"

by Cyrille (cyrillev domain yahoo.fr) on Mon Oct 13th, 2008 at 10:55:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]
He has written that he is pathologically unsuited for the job.
Plus, I doubt he'd want it.
Those kinds of people always end up being the best for public service.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Mon Oct 13th, 2008 at 11:59:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]
This may be cynical, but never forget the Peter Principle. Being a good commentator does not a good player make, nor an academic a politician.



--
$E(X_t|F_s) = X_s,\quad t > s$

by martingale on Mon Oct 13th, 2008 at 08:22:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This has little to do with the Peter principle.
Politician is a far less intellectually taxing position than academic.

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi
by Cyrille (cyrillev domain yahoo.fr) on Tue Oct 14th, 2008 at 01:07:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I beg to differ: politics thrives on sophistry and populism, which is anathema to any good academic.

--
$E(X_t|F_s) = X_s,\quad t > s$
by martingale on Tue Oct 14th, 2008 at 05:33:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Not really his thing.  Krugman, as the Bank of Sweden notes, is a trade guy.  Deals with currency crises, geographic contributing factors to trade outcomes, etc.  You'd want a guy like Krugman telling you how to work and rework trade agreements.

Plus, I doubt he'd want it.  He's got what I'm sure is a pretty sweet gig at the NYT.  Certainly, with today's news, he should be getting a big, fat raise.  Why take the paycut to go to Treasury?

Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin

by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Mon Oct 13th, 2008 at 11:16:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Why take the paycut to go to Treasury?
Indeed!  Worse, he would not be able to publicly comment so regularly and nearly so freely as Sec. of Treasury.  He simply could not say so many of the things for which we now value him, due to the impact the words would have coming from the Sec. of Treas.  He is much more valuable as an independent voice with an academic base at Princeton.  He could always participate in task forces, etc.  May he have long life and great influence.


As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Mon Oct 13th, 2008 at 03:07:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I am pretty certain that the paycut (if there would be one -I have no idea how much one makes at the Treasury) will not be a factor.

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi
by Cyrille (cyrillev domain yahoo.fr) on Tue Oct 14th, 2008 at 01:13:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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