Economists sometimes help people make business decisions, much as architects help people make choices about the design of a building. And, indeed, some economists function mainly as business advisors.
The economist, qua business advisor, approaches his task with the sense that the law and the marketplace are fixed points in his analysis—beyond his control and representing factors that he must take into account in developing strategies for his clients. The economist who operates in the public policy arena faces a much different problem. For him, the law and the marketplace are not fixed points but variables that his advice might well be intended to influence.
An expert on labor policy might, for example, take ...
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