How many times have we heard something like, “If implemented as planned…,” “If the right structures are in place…,” or “Given market-clearing prices…”? Just like that older version: “Monarchy is the best form of government, provided the monarch possesses virtue and wisdom.”
‘If implemented as planned’, when we know that is the assumption we cannot make. ‘If the right structures are in place.” when we know that “right” is unethical without specifying just what the structures are, often case by case. “Given market-clearing prices,” when we know not only that markets in the real world often do not clear (supply and demand do not equate at a single price) – and even when they do, their “efficiencies” can undermine the very markets that produce those prices.
Admit it: We could as well believe that the surest way to heat the house in winter is by striking a match under the thermometer outside.
WHEN COMPLEX IS AS SIMPLE AS IT GETS 
2 thoughts on “Policy wizardry”