Paul Krugman on the Bad Economic Ideas That Refuse to Die
The Nobel-winning economist and New York Times opinion columnist talks to Marker about tax cuts, trade wars, his new book, and more
In 2011, the Department of Defense released “CONPLAN 8888–11,” a lengthy detailed 31-page plan for battling the impending zombie apocalypse that was “not actually designed as a joke.” An article at History.com explained it was a training exercise with three goals in mind. “First, create and uphold a defensive plan to protect humankind from mind-munching predators. Second, establish procedures to eradicate any threat of zombies. Third, restore law and order to a war-ridden economy.”
If the walking dead ever do have their day, it’s going to take big brains to get the American economy up and running again. Fortunately, Paul Krugman is already on the case. His latest book, entitled Arguing With Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future, is a collection of columns, blogs, essays, and articles, some going back nearly 30 years, but most culled from his years at the New York Times, which began in 2000. To be clear, Krugman isn’t fighting actual zombies, but he is combatting apocalyptic economic thinking, the “misunderstandings that just won’t die” like say how whopping tax cuts for the…
