Do good economists need to be right wing?

[buritobr]

I have already heard both right wing economists and left wing graduates in other social sciences saying something like  economist = right wing
Actually, many basic economic models show that state intervention creates misallocation of resources.

But I don't think it is true that economists need to be right wing. There are economists on the left of the mainstream economics (marxist, post-keynesian economists) and also economists on the right of the mainstream economics (Austrian).
Most mainstream economists are new keynesian or new classical. Almost all new classical economists, like Lucas, Barro, Sargent and Presscott are conservative. Some new keynesian economists, like Mankiw, are conservative too.
But many new keynesian economists are very progressive. James Tobin, Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman are good examples. They agree that the state should intervene in order to reduce income inequality and to stabilize fluctuations, and they are still mainstream economists.

Basic models show that state intervention = misallocation of resources, but more sophisticated models can show market imperfections and show that the state could help in order to make the markets work better. Besides, it is not necessary to believe in the Marx theory of the surplus value in order to think that a very unequal income distribution is unfair. One could believe that an unequal income distribution is unfair even if one believes that wages = marginal product of labor.

[buritobr]

Free trade is neither left nor right.
Labor unions can support protectionism in the benefit of the industries where they work.
However, protectionism can also mean more expensive goods for the low class and higher profits for some business.
Free trade redistributes income for the upper class in rich countries and for the low class in the poor countries.
Center-left economist Paul Krugman has already cricticized the anti-trade ideas of the far right politican Pat Buchanan.
Every economist support free trade as a rule. Some of them consider that this rule should have no exception. Some of them consider that there is an ecxetion: some temporary protectionism is acceptable for infant industries.
European agriculture is not an infant industry (actually, it is a very old industry). However, the argument for the protection of the European agriculture is not economic.


 

[buritobr]

Anyone, who confuses ideology and economics is not a good economist. As citizens we have views on how we would like the society be.  As economists we have views on what would be consequences of such or other policies. And confusing the two is not a good thing.

Now, it would be hard to find an good economist who does not much like free trade, for instance. Or would advocate price controls on most goods. Not because of the "left", or "right", but because there are very few circumstances out there where sane objectives cold be achieved by such policies. Markets have many attractive features - even if you are an convinced socialist.

I agree.
One doesn't need to agree with Keynes' political views presented in the Chapter 24 of the "General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money" in order to recognize the relevance of the other 23 chapters of the book for macroeconomics. It is not necessary to be a leftist to recognize that lack of demand can cause equilibrium below the full employment level. Many right-wing governments practiced conservative keynesian policies: military spending, tax cuts for high income families.
One doesn't need to agree with Friedman's views on education in order to recognize his contribution to macroeconomics. Even if you don't agree with the privatization of schools, you can accept that there is no long term relation between inflation and unemployment.

[buritobr]

Paul Krugman considers himself a center-left thinker. He doesn't like the left-left. In the presente days, he criticizes the right more than he criticizes the left-left because the right is more powerful.
But in the 1990s, the made Strong criticismo against anti-globalization activists.

[buritobr]

http://www.pkarchive.org/cranks/GalbraithGoodSociety.html

Paul Krugman wrote this text in the 1990s. He explained many issues discussed in this thread. He explained how an economista can be left-wing without denying the economic theory. Paul Krugman is a moderate leftist who dislike mixing science and ideology. In the text, he was criticizing John Kenneth Galbraith for being too leftist and denying science in the name of the ideology.