Suppose that Larry, an economist from a research institute in Texas, and Megan, an economist from a public television program, are arguing over saving incentives. The following dialogue shows an excerpt from their debate:

Megan: I think it’s safe to say that, in general, the savings rate of households in today’s economy is much lower than it really needs to be to sustain an improvement in living standards.

Larry: I think a switch from the income tax to a consumption tax would bring growth in living standards.

Megan: You really think households would change their saving behavior enough in response to this to make a difference? Because I don’t.

The disagreement between these economists is most likely due to :

a) Differences in scientific judgement

b) Differences between perception vs reality

c) Differences in value

Despite their differences, with which proposition are two economists chosen at random most likely to agree?

a) Business managers can raise profit more easily by reducing costs than by raising revenue.

b) Employers should not be restricted from outsourcing work to foreign nations.

c) Central banks should focus more on maintaining low unemployment than on maintaining low inflation.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

In this case the difference in opinion between Larry and Megan can be reasonably attributed to the difference in scientific judgments between these tw... View the full answer