Jan Tinbergen: Economics

Jan Tinbergen was Dutch economist. Explore interesting quotes on economics.
Jan Tinbergen: 42   quotes 22   likes

“The world is in a process of a great transformation. In a considerable part of it a new economic order, "communism," is being vigorously tried out. Elsewhere an old order is passing as one country after another throws of the yoke of colonialism. The wholesale introduction of Western techniques and ways of life shaking the foundations of numerous beliefs and attitudes, for good and for evil.”

Jan Tinbergen

Source: Shaping the world economy, 1962, p. 3 : Lead in paragraph "introducing the book"

Life , World , Way , Communication

“The central question of economic policy is the question of the effectiveness of its various instruments.”

Jan Tinbergen

Source: Income Distribution (1975), p. 53

Question

“The main sources of tension in today's world economy could be grouped under the following categories:
(i) the underdevelopment of a large part of world
(ii) competition between different economic systems
(iii) the passing of colonialism
(iv) economic instability, especially in primary markets, and
(v) national shortsightedness, especially in trade policy”

Jan Tinbergen

Source: Shaping the world economy, 1962, p. 91

World , Parting

“It is also our hope that the interpretation of the socio-economic optimum as a set of institutions may help to get under way a discussion of a more scientific character than was usual so far about the relative merits of various existing socio-economic orders, especially those of Eastern and Western Europe, including such interesting cases as Sweden, Switzerland and Yugoslavia. A considerable amount of better information about various types of external effects will be one of the necessary ingredients if we want to give concrete content to such merit rating of various systems.”

Jan Tinbergen

"The Use of Models: Experience," 1969

Hope , Way , Help

“It is my hope that in such a way we may again, as Marx claimed, find scientific arguments in the competition between various systems, but up-to-date scientific arguments rather than obsolete ones. This more fundamental research in economics deserves relatively more attention and resources than the more superficial versions of economic research directed at forecasting or analysing very short-term fluctuations in market prices, on which quite some money is being spent to-day.”

Jan Tinbergen

"The Use of Models: Experience," 1969

Money , Hope , Way

“Econometrics is the name for a field of science in which mathematical-economic and mathematical-statistical research are applied in combination. Econometrics, therefore, forms a borderland between two branches of science, with the advantages and disadvantages thereof; advantages, because new combinations are introduced which often open up new perspectives; disadvantages, because the work in this field requires skill in two domains, which either takes up too much time or leads to insufficient training of its students in one of the two respects.”

Jan Tinbergen

Source: Econometrics, 1951, p. 3; Cited in: Econometrica: journal of the Econometric Society. (1953) p. 36

Mathematics , Science , Time , Training

“The shaping or reformulation of the aims of economic policy which are only vaguely felt may be exemplified in the aim of social justice.”

Jan Tinbergen

Jan Tinbergen (1964) Economic policy: principles and design. (1964). p. 22; Quoted in: Paul Schenderling. The Size and Transmission of Fiscal Spillovers: an Empirical Characterisation. (2012) p. 6

Justice