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Considering that MMT is itself a fringe movement within American economics and that the US economic establishment is firmly Friedmanite, why would you find it unsatisfactory that the German economic establishment is firmly Austrian? Even in France, sane economists are having trouble being accepted. And in Continental Europe ministers of education tend to have a strong influence on curricula even at the university level. So I find it eminently plausible that the German Government (if you include in it the Bundesbank) "had systematically prevented the preferment of sane economists".

Economics is politics by other means
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon May 9th, 2011 at 06:44:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I was being ironic.  I joked privately with Professor Black that the Irish had a long tradition of sending aid workers to the third world espousing progressive economics, intermediate technology, small is beautiful type community development projects whilst Ireland did exactly the opposite at home.  Listening to US economists espousing policies for Ireland totally at odds with the US mainstream had a similar feel to it in reverse.

More seriously, I do think it important the Ireland builds alliances with progressive German economists if we can find any and was disappointed none had been found/invited.

Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Mon May 9th, 2011 at 06:58:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
There are a few sane German economists:
Lucas Zeise, in his column in FT Deutschland, says the outbreak of lies is the best metric for the pending break-up of the eurozone. He recalls various currency crises from the 1970s and 1980s, in which officials also lied that nothing would happen, until it happened. Zeise says two necessary conditions to avoid a break-up are the acceptance of a transfer union, financed, for example, by a tax on exporters, and the tolerance of large wage increases in northern European countries.
(Eurointelligence)

Sane outfits appear to include Die Zeit and its Herdentrieb Blog, most FT Deutschland columnists... Eurointelligence...

Economics is politics by other means

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 10th, 2011 at 04:22:11 AM EST
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It has been some time since I've read Die Zeit, but I as I remember it the sanity is strongly concentrated in Herdentrieb.
by generic on Tue May 10th, 2011 at 07:07:38 AM EST
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They did publish an article on Wörgl at the end of last year...

Economics is politics by other means
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 10th, 2011 at 08:05:40 AM EST
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Fair enough. It was more their phase of pro Atlantic warmongering rather than their economics that made me drop them. Don't know if that is still going on.
by generic on Tue May 10th, 2011 at 08:48:41 AM EST
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I think it's fair to say there are sane economists everywhere, but that one of the ways the neolib stranglehold is perpetuated is by systematically filtering them out of jobs, promotion, academic recognition.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue May 10th, 2011 at 05:47:57 AM EST
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As in most dictatorships, only members of The Party are allowed to advance their careers beyond a certain point.

Dissent is tolerated as long as it remains ineffective.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Tue May 10th, 2011 at 06:40:11 AM EST
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