Ethics for economists

Some wise thoughts on ethical standards for economists from Ed Glaeser.

Disclosure is important not just in relation to private entities to government ones as well. Evaluations funded by governments, especially when conducted by individuals or firms for whom such evaluations represent a major contributor to earnings, raise important concerns about pandering to the client. Just like private entities such as drug companies, governments often have a preferred answer in mind when they commission research.

Full disclosure: Ed and I overlapped in graduate school at Chicago. He may at some point have purchased me a beer or two.

Hat tip: Ken Troske