Question

Suppose that Yakov, an economist from a university in Arizona, and Ana, an economist from a nonprofit organization on the West Coast, are arguing over saving incentives. The following dialogue shows an excerpt from their debate:
Kyoko: I think it' safe to say that, in general, the savings rate of households in today's economy is much lower than it really needs to be to sustain an improvement in living standards.
Jacques: I think a switch from the income tax to a consumption tax would bring growth in living standards.
Kyoko: You really think households would change their saving behavior enough in response to this to make a difference? Because I don't.

The disagreement between these economists is most likely due to _________

a. differences in scientific judgments
b. differences between perception versus reality
c. differences in values

Answer 1

Answer: a. differences in scientific judgments

Explanation:

Economists generally argue about most policies due to the different schools of thought that they adhere to.

These schools of thought are influenced by scientific judgements they believe to be the most applicable to the economies of nations. This difference in opinion between these two is most likely because they follow different schools of thought with differences in scientific judgements.