John Cochrane: belief

Transcript context

…Should more economists blog? You’re doing it, right? We were all surprised when we saw you doing it. Well, I don’t like the competition, so no, stay out of it, guys. [laughs] Everybody else in any business — the first thing any businessman does is try to get rid of the competition. The blog is an interesting art form. I don’t know how long it will last. It allows me to write short essays quickly that seem to have some following, even though I should edit each of them for a week and make them better. I found that a useful way to get ideas out and to hear from other people. I think that forum is good. Our academic journals are a disaster, and blogs seem to be an interesting way to get ideas back and forth in economics. They merge economics and politics. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad idea. The problem with all of us doing it is, I think what we’re seeing in the market is less blog, which is a personal brand name, and more of the Vox, Quillette, and so forth — curated things that are not publications. It’s really a question about what’s the right format for getting essay-length things into the debate more quickly, both on actual economics and economics and politics. Last question: after you finish your 600-page book on The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level, what is it you think you will do next?…

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