TI 2003-034/1 Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper Pluralism in Economics: A Public Good or a Public Bad? Hendrik P. van Dalen Faculty of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Tinbergen Institute, and Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute, The Hague. Tinbergen Institute The Tinbergen Institute is the institute for economic research of the Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, Universiteit van Amsterdam, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Tinbergen Institute Amsterdam Roetersstraat 31 1018 WB Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel.: +31(0)20 551 3500 Fax: +31(0)20 551 3555 Tinbergen Institute Rotterdam Burg. Oudlaan 50 3062 PA Rotterdam The Netherlands Tel.: +31(0)10 408 8900 Fax: +31(0)10 408 9031 Please send questions and/or remarks of non- scientific nature to
[email protected]. Most TI discussion papers can be downloaded at http://www.tinbergen.nl. Pluralism in Economics: A Public Good or a Public Bad? Hendrik P. van Dalen Erasmus University Rotterdam Research Center for Economic Policy (OCFEB) and Tinbergen Institute Room H 6-16 P.O. Box 1738 NL-3000 DR Rotterdam The Netherlands Tel: +3110 - 4081401 Email:
[email protected] Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute P.O. Box 11650 NL – 2502 AR The Hague The Netherlands Tel: +3170 – 356 5237 Email:
[email protected] November 10, 2003 1 1. Introduction “John, I can’t make a damn thing out of this tax problem. I listen to one side and they seem right, and then – God! – I talk to the other side, and they seem just as right. I know somewhere there is a book, that will give me the truth, but hell, I couldn’t read the book.