The implications go beyond not over-selling any particular research result. Journalists, politicians, and the general public have a tendency to attribute greater authority and precision to what economists say than economists should really feel comfortable with.
世行首席经济学家巴苏的观点令人记忆犹新，“有一个问题专家清楚，而非专家不清楚，那就是专家们所了解的并不像非专家们所以为的那样多。”这句话的涵义远不限于不要过分吹嘘某项研究成果。记者、政治家和一般公众都有一种倾向，那就是对经济学家的研究成果加之以超乎实际的权威和准确性。不幸的是，经济学家在公众面前很少表现出谦虚的态度。