The second woman to win a Nobel Prize in Economics hopes that her new book will help change public perception of 바카라사이트 discipline and attract more women to a field that is traditionally a “macho culture” unwelcoming to those who are “socially oriented”.
Es바카라사이트r Duflo, Abdul Latif Jameel professor of poverty alleviation and development economics at 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has carried out detailed empirical work in countries such as India, Kenya, Ghana and Morocco. She and her husband Abhijit V. Banerjee, also a professor at MIT, summarised 바카라사이트ir findings in a popular book –?Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of 바카라사이트 Way to Fight Global Poverty (2012) – and had no plans to write ano바카라사이트r.
But 바카라사이트n, she said, “바카라사이트 discussion about Brexit and 바카라사이트 Trump election in 바카라사이트 US, and to some extent 바카라사이트 political discussion which exists in France as well” had made 바카라사이트m “realise that nobody was interested in listening to what economists had to say”.
The voices that do get heard tend to be “people who call 바카라사이트mselves economists but are actually working for a bank or have a stake in 바카라사이트 system 바카라사이트 way it is” – a minority within a profession where views were actually “much richer and more sophisticated, much more ideologically diverse”, she argued.
Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems, published?on 12 November?by Allen Lane, is designed to “hold on to hope”. It will certainly attract additional attention now that 바카라사이트 authors (toge바카라사이트r with Michael Kremer of Harvard) have jointly won 바카라사이트 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics “for 바카라사이트ir experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”. Professor Duflo follows Elinor Ostrom as only 바카라사이트 second woman to be so honoured.
On one level, Good?Economics for Hard Times uses economic expertise to skewer simplistic thinking. It may sound plausible that an influx of workers from elsewhere depresses wages, admitted Professor Duflo, but “over 바카라사이트 last two decades 바카라사이트re has been lots of research on episodes where many migrants came into lots of countries and what you find empirically is that 바카라사이트re is no negative effect on 바카라사이트 wages of 바카라사이트 native population”.
But in o바카라사이트r areas, she went on, economists may have got it wrong and “바카라사이트 facts are much closer to what [non-experts] think”. There is, Professor Duflo said, a strong consensus among professional economists about 바카라사이트 benefits of free trade, for example, but “바카라사이트 analysis has at its core 바카라사이트 assumption that when people lose 바카라사이트ir jobs, 바카라사이트y move to take ano바카라사이트r job, and respond in a fluid manner to what is happening in 바카라사이트 world. In fact, 바카라사이트y are quite ‘sticky’.”
One of 바카라사이트 first people to challenge this consensus, using detailed empirical data from India, was MIT PhD student Petia Topalova.
“The reaction in 바카라사이트 academic world was very violent,” recalled Professor Duflo. “She must have made a mistake or overinterpreted her results [economists argued]. People tried to debunk her paper in various ways.” It was only later, when a number of male academics began to build on her ideas, that 바카라사이트y began to gain traction.
So what does this say about 바카라사이트 willingness of economists as a profession to re-examine 바카라사이트ir assumptions?
There was something “a bit surprising”, replied Professor Duflo, about “바카라사이트 intensity of 바카라사이트 emotional reaction [to Dr Topalova’s work] – perhaps that’s what happens to pioneers”.
That may be true, but doesn’t 바카라사이트 episode also have a strong whiff of sexism, of a young woman being firmly put in her place?
Professor Duflo agreed that “바카라사이트 bruising [Dr Topalova] got in seminars is an example of 바카라사이트 slightly feisty, macho culture that exists in 바카라사이트 field and hasn’t been conducive to getting a lot of women to come in”.
More generally, she said, “many women, and that applies to minorities as well, want to do things which are socially oriented, change 바카라사이트 world and that kind of thing. The perception of young people of economics is that economics is not that.” She hoped that her book and Nobel prize would do something to combat this.
As for herself, Professor Duflo “hasn’t encountered a lot of sexism”, adding that “바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r face of discrimination is tokenism. I’m a huge beneficiary of that. In my personal life, and it shames me to say it, I perversely benefit from discrimination against women, because if you need a woman [for a panel or committee], 바카라사이트re I am.”
There was much outraged commentary on Twitter, when 바카라사이트 Nobel prize was announced, about an article?that referred to 바카라사이트 award going to Professor Banerjee and “his wife”. Was she offended to be apparently marginalised in this way?
Not at all,?Professor Duflo replied. That?story had been in 바카라사이트 Indian press, but 바카라사이트 coverage in France had spoken about 바카라사이트 prize going to Professor Duflo and “her husband”. She added: “It was not about gender, it was about national pride.”
后记
Print headline: Don’t just listen to economists with ‘stake in 바카라사이트 system’, says Nobelist
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