Letters: Letters: Protests and Solutions

In “Know What You’re Protesting” (Economic View, Dec. 4), N. Gregory Mankiw repeats the often-heard complaint that many Occupy protesters — and, in his case, students who walked out of his own course — have “no clear policy prescriptions” for our current economic mess.

But why should students in an introductory economics class, or others without economic training, be the ones to come up with solutions? The purpose of the protests is to keep the problem in the public limelight and, it is hoped, force elected officials to do something about it rather than just kick the can down the road and take political postures.

Solutions exist, but part of the problem is that we are dealing with conflicting economic theories that have been taken to extreme positions by both sides. Until Washington relearns the art of compromise, this mess will continue. Charles Repka

East Windsor, N.J., Dec. 5

To the Editor:

In the column, N. Gregory Mankiw makes this statement: “I don’t view the study of economics as laden with ideology.” He then goes on to say that “the recent financial crisis, economic downturn and meager recovery are vivid reminders that we still have much to learn.”

He seems not to understand that economists aren’t really objective and dispassionate scientists. Economics is merely a set of tools with which we build the kind of society we want to live in. Defining what that means is, of course, an ideological proposition, and thus all economic “theory” is freighted with ideological baggage.

And by treating the current economic crisis as a teachable moment, not as a result of very specific economic policies, the column pooh-poohs anyone who would hold economic ideas accountable for the mess we are in.

Indeed, to judge by the economic policies being promoted by Mitt Romney, whom Mr. Mankiw serves as an adviser, neither Mr. Romney nor Mr. Mankiw has learned anything about what caused our economy to fall off the cliff in 2007. Steven Conn

Yellow Springs, Ohio, Dec. 4

The writer is a history professor at Ohio State University.

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