Efficiency

[Juan Jose Barrios]

Brett Knowlton wrote:
> 
> >Max Sawicky wrote:
> >
> >> If you don't measure, how do you make
> >> decisions?  Any comparison of alternatives
> >> is an implicit measurement, ordinal at the
> >> very least (e.g., the good overshadows the
> >> bad).  Isn't it better to bring more information
> >> rather than less to such a choice?
> 
> Mat replied:
> 
> >The thing is that everything can't be measured in quantitative terms and
> >personally I have a problem with some of the attempts to measure what
> shouldn't
> >be.  Consideration of pros and cons is not the same thing as reducing all
> >factors to quantitatively comparable terms, i.e., $.  Things like "rights" or
> >doing what one believes is the right thing come into play.  If we based our
> >decision on CBA, we might still have slavery or child labor.  All life
> shouldn't
> >be governed by "economic logic" of that kind.  We make decisions all the time
> >without "measuring" in the technical sense of CBA, and I don't think it is
> all
> >some kind of utilitarian ordering either.  Since so many of the outcomes are
> >decided in advance, and numbers fudged around until they get the results they
> >want, CBA ends up cloaking power and politics in the guise of a scientific
> >analysis.  Better to work on the political process, informed by many factors,
> >including but not limited to those related to costs.

I Agree with Max. In Economics it is believed that "more" is better than
"less". Now, should you introduce things like crime, rapes, etc, etc,
obviously that axiom is not valid. However, it does make sense for
popular goods and services, doesn't it? Now, Ithink your problems arise
because, as I said, more is not always better than less due to moral
principles (I am not saying that Econmomics is inmoral). It is true t we
should always consider all the elements involved so as to make what we
believe is the correct decision, but that does not invalidate economic,
i.e., measurable, considerations per se. 

Sit back and think: Can you imagine a world without some economic logic?
If yes, please explain how that world would work. Even if capitalism
some day vanishes from the face of the earth, you will need economics.
Only when social problems are no longer with us, then, maybe, we could
get rid of this (my) profession.....

Juan