Who is a good economist or ecological economist? What makes a good economist?

I think that a good economist is a someone who has profound insights into how human economy works. Someone who really understand the mechanism of economy. Whoelse can be? Creativity in modeling seems a key to be a good economist. Ability in econometric analysis? It is necessary, but it does not provide any insight.

In history, without any doubt Keynes is the best economist. Among current economists, I admire Paul Krugman because of his insights and his participation in social issues. I would like to hear what you think.

Responses to climate change from conservatives

Main strategy of conserviatives to climate change has been total denial: there is no such a thing like global warming. There is only natural fluctuation of climate pattern. But as undeniable evidence has been accumulated, they seem to change their strategy. Here are what I found from conservatives on news media;

(1) Now, conservatives accept extraordinary climate change as a fact.

(2) But they still raise questions about whether the change was caused by human activities.

(3) Furthermore, they are skeptical whether we can do something to prevent climate change, although they accept that the change was resulted from human activites.

(4) They suggest that we need focus on related problems such as disaster prevention, poverty, rather than on climate change itself.


At some degree, I agree with them. In particular, I am not fully sure whether we can change the dirction of climate change. We might cross the river. Instead chasing rarely achievable goals, we may want to spend our time to adapt ourselves to potential changes from climate change and to make this world ready for the uncertain future. What we need is not a protest plan but a survival plan.

What is "technical progress?"

J. Black. 2002. A Dictionary of economics. Oxford Univ. Press

"Improvement in knowledge of possible techniques. Such changes may allow more output to be obtained from unchanged inputs, the same output to be obtained from fewer inputs, or new forms of output to be produced which were not previously possible"

(1) More output with same inputs
(2) Smae output with fewer inputs
(3) New output(pure innovation?), eventually more output

Except (3), is the basic of technical progress substitution? Through substitution or reorganization of production process, we can produce more or the same with fewer inputs.