On the other hand - essays on economics, economists, and politics

the long version

Objective, readable, and witty, Herbert Stein resists being pigeon-holed as liberal or conservative, as a member of any of the "schools" that warp the vision of many economists. In On the Other Hand, he gives a fresh view, derived from fifty-six years of participating in and observing Washington economics, of the economic policy and economic talk of our time. He examines contemporary controversy over economic growth, poverty, employment, taxes, and deficits; discusses the role of presidents and their advisers in the formation of economic policy; and assesses the ideas of economists whose theories have influenced economic practice.