Econ Journal Watch

Scholarly Comments on Academic Economics

Economic Dissociative Identity Disorder: The Math Gamer, the Anti-Policy Econometrician and the Narrative Political Economist

by Bruce L. Benson

*Bruce L. Benson* grew up in a small town in North Central Montana. In 1969, he was drafted and assigned to a combat infantry unit in Vietnam. Before he returned to the “world” 12 months later, the roughly 350 men who cycled through his company experience

Abstract

In this self diagnosis, I examine my career as an economist over 30 years in terms of dissociative identity disorder. The multiple identities of my career have been the math gamer, the anti-policy econometrician, and the narrative political economist. I hope that others can learn something from my story.