But somehow, whenever economics is the starting or dominant frame of reference, the socio-economic and political implications always seem to come out as an unfortunate unintended side effect, rather that as a feature of the frame of reference being adopted.

That's the point of most economic models. They are Jesuit logic designed to make your preferred social policies look as though they fall out of some rigorous formal and objective theory purely by happenstance.

Or, as Mig has put it more concisely: Economics is about bullshit mathematical arguments to support one's ideological policy choices.

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.