Troppo aficionados will know that a Don Arthur often repays careful reading and linking. His links are full of interest and surprises. Anyway, no surprises that his link to what the great economist James Heckman thinks links to an interview. But what an interview. It reminded me of my attending a lecture Heckman gave at Melbourne Uni last year. It was marvellous. And so is the interview. Go and check it out. It shows a remarkable coming together of raw talent, hard work, basic decency, seriousness, truthfulness and singularity of vision and purpose.
It’s hard to think of any social scientist alive who’s done more to improve the human lot. Economists and non-economists alike – go and read the interview.
A brilliant thinker who can communicate. It is an interview well worth a read. Thanks.
Also a terrific interview, by Douglas Clement, who apparently knows exactly how to get economists talking about the core issues of their careers. A quick Google reveals that Clement has interviewed quite a few economists with the same revealing results. This is the sort of “journalism” that never wins awards: it’s a fair bet that Clement will never win a Pulitzer. But if I were a journalist who could produce one of these every few months, I’d die happy.
Well maybe you are DW, maybe you are!