When it comes to the area of social reform, economists usually:

suggest that changing incentives is the key to success.
are uninterested because it involves normative judgments.
advocate trying to solve social problems by teaching individual virtue.
believe that nothing can be done to make the world better.


There has been a strong tendency for those trying to establish Marxist societies to:

assume that the only motive people have is self interest.
argue that people are naturally unequal, and that some should be treated better than others.
assume that self interest can be eliminated because it is only a product of a capitalist environment.
argue that only the rule of an all-powerful government can bring harmony to a society.


Back to Reading Overview Next Page