Comments on: More on President Summers http://cultureby.com/2005/03/more_on_preside.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Thu, 17 May 2012 21:10:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: steve http://cultureby.com/2005/03/more_on_preside.html/comment-page-1#comment-6584 steve Wed, 30 Mar 2005 20:15:57 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=988#comment-6584 Don't you find that essay more than a little oblique and question-begging? Warsh asserts that it's obvious that Summers is wrong for Harvard without providing any specifics to judge whether Summers is right or wrong. I assume that the corporation had become alarmed by Harvard's drift in the Rudenstine era and wanted Summers to come in and kick some ass--ideally, doing it without raising too much fuss, but doing it in any case. Well, that's what they got. It's odd that Warsh quotes Hoxby but doesn't quote Ed Glaeser or Claudia Goldin or Larry Katz or Steven Pinker or any of the other prominent supporters of Summers. I think we have a case of Boston's insular culture getting to Warsh. It's just not socially acceptable in Cambridge to point out that Summers has been right on ROTC, divestment from Israel, etc. and his critics wrong. Don’t you find that essay more than a little oblique and question-begging? Warsh asserts that it’s obvious that Summers is wrong for Harvard without providing any specifics to judge whether Summers is right or wrong. I assume that the corporation had become alarmed by Harvard’s drift in the Rudenstine era and wanted Summers to come in and kick some ass–ideally, doing it without raising too much fuss, but doing it in any case. Well, that’s what they got.

It’s odd that Warsh quotes Hoxby but doesn’t quote Ed Glaeser or Claudia Goldin or Larry Katz or Steven Pinker or any of the other prominent supporters of Summers. I think we have a case of Boston’s insular culture getting to Warsh. It’s just not socially acceptable in Cambridge to point out that Summers has been right on ROTC, divestment from Israel, etc. and his critics wrong.

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