Some papers make me feel old

A good friend told me once that he enjoyed my blog, but that I should stay away from posts that are too self-centered or else risk developing a syndrome he associated with another economist blogger who shall remain nameless.  I have tried to heed his advice since. But what is a blog for if you are not going to blow your own horn once in a while?

So in that spirit, here are two recent papers who focus on and evaluate my work on development and globalization. One, by Derek Headey of the University of Queensland is called "What Professor Rodrik Means by Policy Reform." The other, by Yan Islam of Griffith University, is called "Saving Globalization from its Cheerleaders: The Economics of Dani Rodrik."  Headey's paper is the more critical of the two, but I am happy to report that neither paper left me feeling defensive. 

According to Islam

Some economists have described Rodrik as a ‘globalisation skeptic’. Others have expressed concern that his work has encouraged a new wave of populism in the developing world. I will argue that these concerns misrepresent his ideas. While Rodrik does not regard the anti-globalisation movement as a threat to the international community, he does not share their rejectionist disposition. Rodrik, as I seek to demonstrate in this paper, is certainly a critic of the cheerleaders of globalisation primarily because he believes that their prescriptions are not based on sound economic analyses, nor are they anchored in robust empirical evidence. The cheerleaders make their case by conceptualizing mainstream economics as a representation of neoliberal economics. Cheerleaders of globalisation thus fail to recognize the eclecticism inherent in mainstream economics. Globalisation as a process can engender multiple benefits for both poor and rich nations, but it needs to be rescued from the narrow world-view of the cheerleaders.

Headey writes:

despite the increasing notoriety of the work of Rodrik and his collaborators ... and some clear enunciation of precisely what it is this emerging school of thought rejects, it seems rather more difficult for the occasional reader to definitively say what it is that Professor Rodrik and his collaborators definitively embrace. Is Rodrik a free or strategic trader? Is he a supporter of government-led industrialization? Is he a shock therapist or a gradualist? Is he an institutionalist, and if he is, what kind of institutionalist? Considering how widely cited Professor Rodrik and his colleagues are, it is unusually difficult to associate his work with clear-cut answers to these questions.

I wonder why both papers originate from academics based in Australia. I can see no particular reason my work should have been more influential (or notorious) in Australia. Perhaps there is more of a tradition of writing this kind of paper there? 

And then there is the problem mentioned in the title of this post

Comments

[Walt]

You'll know you've won when someone writes the book-length The Economic Consequences of Dani Rodrik.

[gordon]

"I wonder why both papers originate from academics based in Australia. I can see no particular reason my work should have been more influential (or notorious) in Australia. Perhaps there is more of a tradition of writing this kind of paper there?"

Perhaps because the Labor Govts. of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating (1983-1996) had well-developed industry policies (or as you apparently say in the US, "industrial policy"). They were a key part of the Labor Govts'. policies during this period, involved close liaison with labour unions and employer bodies, were economically literate and were all abandoned by the incoming Howard Govt. in 1996. Since then, Australia has been increasingly suffering the "curse of natural resources".

[Rick GH]

"I should stay away from posts that are too self-centered or else risk developing a syndrome he associated with another economist blogger who shall remain nameless..."

Er...Mankiw?

[hari]

Dani- It's flattering you inspire intellectual self-criticism!

What Gordon (above) says about current impasse of Aust industry policy is true and not at all biased.

Under PM/Howard ( who just this week announced his retirement - if he wins!)
neocons took over and Aus became a "commodity trader"!

Labour will defeat Liberal Party of Aus - come next election - and soon!

Invaribaly, as I don't dwell on your academic output (at my age!), I admire yr (current) out-of-traditional intellectual output in this blog, so far.

I admit, some of us, contributed to trade liberalization during our professional service under GATT Rounds, but most of us today regret what's become of "globalization".

I've personally/privately advised policy makers to rethink their trade and development policy under current neo-liberal forces under WTO. Because national sovereignty is coming under attack, as we saw in recent developments in global financial markets.

IMF/IBRD are best let to die a natural death, in my professional opinion today.
The mess they've created -over time - is undoubtedly a sign of institutional and intelllectual dishonesty, at best. Don't wish to say more ....

Now, Merkel/Sarkosy met last week, here, and they agreed/decided to enjoin EU Commission to look a bit more critically on present practice on how rating agencies certify financial derivatives?

I suppose they've finally foreseen this neo-liberal global financial market is not only laissez-fare but politically very toxic!

[robertdfeinman]

Actually this type of posting is the "new thing" that blogs can bring to the world of ideas.

Before there was an interactive mechanism, works about scholarly subjects (even popularized ones) were most restricted to a one way model. There were few avenues for dialog outside of letters to the editor and later listservs.

Now every author had better be prepared to defend his work against colleagues and the general public.

This can only be a good think.

As for the self-centered blogger. I think this is a valid approach, but most professionals try to keep their personal diaries and professional ones separate. I think it's just a matter of taste.

[Barkley Rosser]

Dani,

As far as I am concerned, you are just a young whippersnapper. The only reason to feel old is Heady's comments that seem to imply that you are confusing, or maybe just confused. If the latter is really true, then maybe you should worrty that old-age dementia is setting in... :-).

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

'Er...Mankiw?'

DeLong.

[Derek Headey]

What is even more astonishing is: a. that both papers not only come out of Australia, but both papers come out of Brisbane; and b. I learnt of this other paper from a website hosted from the other side of the world (in fact, I have never even been to Griffith).

The fact that both papers come from Australia is probably coincidental, although I think most Australian economics departments are quite heterogenous and free-thinking, with only 1 or 2 exceptions. Certainly University of Queensland is very diverse (see, for example, the blog run by probably Australia's most eminent economist, John Quiggin - http://johnquiggin.com/). But I also think this is true of most of Europe; so the US is probably the exception rather than the rule in terms of any conservatism in economic thought.

As regards my criticisms of Rodrik, they are very much those of the devil's advocate. I should also add that having read Islam's paper, it is very fortuituous that most of his review covers the one substantial part of Rodrik's work which I substantially ignore, globalization. So they complement each other rather well.

[Derek Headey]

Dear Dani & Bloggers:
Complete sidescript: Has it occurred to you (or anyone else) that you resemble Sir Laurence Olivier quite a bit? See
http://www.murphsplace.com/olivier/pictures.html
Is this a photo trick or is it true?

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