“Economists who studied in the '80s tend to have a pretty crude neoclassical view that's just about freeing up prices and markets, and then you'll get the growth and everybody benefits. And they'll just repeat that, because if you're a minister or a senior civil servant, you don't have time to read anything anymore. You get very fixed in your views.” IfsGrowthViewsBenefitsMinistersServantFixedRepeatsSeniorEconomist80sCrudeCivil Servants Author:Duncan Green
“Some kinds of activists are more willing to try stuff out, see if works and think on their feet, but some of the people who are working on [change] find that very difficult: They've been schooled into thinking you have to come up with the perfect plan in advance. It has become a bit technocratic.” PeopleIfsThinkingTryingKindStuffBitsDifficultPerfectPlansFeetWillingCome UpActivistSchooledWilling To Try Author:Duncan Green
“There's a tendency for people who believe passionately in something to be so convinced of their rightness that if they just repeat themselves a lot at the person, that will convince them. And that hasn't worked on things like immigration or trade deals.” PeopleIfsBelievePersonsDealsTradeConvincedImmigrationTendenciesRepeatsConvince Author:Duncan Green
“If you were disabled in Russia, you had to re-register every year, and it took up to six months to re-register, so people who lost limbs in Afghanistan had to prove that their leg hadn't grown back.” PeopleIfsYearsLostMonthsProveSixLegsRussiaAfghanistanSix MonthsLimbsDisabledRegister Author:Duncan Green