Now, why is Dr. Krugman famous? The easy answer is that he is a Nobel Laureate and recognized Economic guru who teaches at Ivy League schools and writes essays for the New York Times (NYT). The conventional wisdom would be then that he is an expert on all things economic.
Well now. It wasn't that long ago that I was in graduate school listening to Ph.D's offer opinion and fact and it wasn't always easy to discern one (opinion) from the other (fact). There were some professors from whom, in frustration, I walked out of the room so strong was my revulsion. A tenured-for-life professorship does not guarantee ground breaking ideas.
Krugman is a celebrity the same way as is Paris Hilton, albeit without a sex tape. He is famous for being famous. While everyone knows that he is a famous economist, almost no one understands why Dr. Krugman is famous.
Dr. Krugman was recognized in 2008 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for his, "...for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity..."(1) and "...Prof Krugman's approach was based on the concept known as economies of scale - that many goods and services can be produced at less cost in long series, the citation said." (1) Really? That products cost less per unit given longer production runs is NOT groundbreaking - that is old news. Surely there MUST be more to Dr. Krugman to account for his fame.
Now I certainly have my beliefs as to explain Dr. Krugman celebrity. I'd be interested if anyone else would care to share their ideas regarding the media fascination with the man.
Buehler?
Buehler?
(1)http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7667190.stm
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment