Why Aspiring Economists Need Math (Greg Mankiw's Blog, 2006)

Greg Mankiw · 15 Sept 2006

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Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
Math is good training for the mind and makes you a more rigorous thinker

Their wordsMath is good training for the mind. It makes you a more rigorous thinker.
Our reading
Economics programs use math courses as one long IQ test to find out who is really smart

Their wordsYour math courses are one long IQ test. We use math courses to figure out who is really smart.
Our reading
Admissions committees for economics PhD programs are perhaps excessively fond of mathematics on transcripts

Their wordsIs it possible that admissions committees for econ PhD programs are excessively fond of mathematics on student transcripts? Perhaps.

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