They are useful for making the straightforward but counterintuitive points that distinguish macroeconomics from other fields of economic analysis. We rely on such models to explain, for example “the paradox of thrift,” whereby individual decisions to increase saving can, by depressing spending and output, result in the population as a whole saving less.
这一争论根本没有触及核心。简单模型有它们的地位。在提出将宏观经济学与其他经济分析领域区别开来的直观但反直觉的观点方面，简单模型很有用。比如，我们依赖这类模型解释“节俭悖论”——个体增加储蓄的决定可能抑制支出和产出，最后导致全体储蓄总量变少。