Sunday, September 7, 2008

The moral content of economic terminology in the popular press: A guide

Foreign direct investment (inbound): Good
Current account deficit: Bad
Trade deficit: Catastrophic
Capital account deficit: Not used. Presumably bad.

Weak national currency: Bad
Exports: Good
Imports: Bad

Rising house prices: Good
Falling house prices: Bad
Affordable houses: Good
Unaffordable houses: Bad

Free trade: Neutral
Unfettered free trade: Bad
Fair trade: Good
Outsourcing: Evil
Buying local produce: Divine

Pay rises: Good
Low interest rates: Good
Inflation: Bad

Communism: Very Bad
Socialism: Bad
Capitalism: Bad

9 comments:

  1. I love the part about the home prices. In our town we have a commission trying to "provide affordable homes" (lower prices) and another commission that tries to raise the price of homes (protect homeowners value).

    Do you mind if I quote you?

    ReplyDelete
  2. American hero - quote freely.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very informative article - it is good to look at econmic terminology from another angele.

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    ReplyDelete