Beating A Dead Horse

Am I the only one who finds something a little ironic about this week’s Economist? Its front page blares about the sorry state of science and how there is a risk that shoddy research, over production of papers, and the under-scrutiny thereof could undermine the public’s trust.

Then turn the page, and read a glowing article referencing the recent quasi-Nobel prizes for Fama and Shiller. No reference there of the similar risks being run within economics.

I realize that such a reference might have detracted somewhat, but given the public questioning of the prizes, it might have been useful.

A casual reader might leave with the impression that, whilst science wallows in error and lacks as much self-imposed discipline on research as we would all like, economics is pristine. Exemplary even.

Am I asking for too much?