We econo-types come in lots of different flavors and we all have our demons. Assuming you’d like a Halloween costume that would scare one of us, here’s a handy typology. I even put in a couple of ideas to frighten some of my CBPP friends.
Feel free to add others to the comments section. Better yet, put on one of these and take a selfie and, if it’s not too scary, I’ll post it!
| Type of Economist | Scary Costume |
| Microeconomist | A Harberger Triangle |
| Macroeconomist | An Okun Gap |
| Democrat economist | Balanced Budget Amendment |
| Republican economist | Rising Debt/GDP ratio (but they’re just pretending to be scared) |
| Econometrician | Heteroskedastic errors! |
| Forecasters | Actual outcomes |
| Fed economists | Unanchored inflationary expectations |
| Chye-Ching, Chuck | A tax loophole or even scarier, forgone revenue |
| Bernanke | Rick Perry (and vice versa, of course) |
| UAW economist | The trade deficit, or more subtly, the undervalued yuan |
| Rational expectations economist | Reality |
| Econ grad student | Negative externality |
| Thomas Piketty | g>r |
| Me | A supply side economist |
Behavioural economist: an effect size
Nice!
Or, conversely:
Efficient markets economist: a behavioralist
Or a person on hallucinogenics.
HA! (says the expiring NH state rep) I’ve just told people I’m the scariest person of all: A Politician!
But can’t use that after this year. I decided not to run again.
Why not? Old lies are the most effective truth. [That could be a Yogi-ism].
neoclassical economists: any heterodox approach
How to scare an economist? Invoke the magic words…”Jared Bernstein or Dean Baker”. Then the unmenches will know, put up or shut up.