What are economists good for?

Economist John Kenneth Galbraith once said, ''The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.'' Many wonder what the role of economists should be after so few realized the world economy was headed for a fall.

Guests

• Peter Coy: economics editor at BusinessWeek. He wrote a cover article for the magazine, "What Good are Economists, Anyway."
• V. V. Chari: economics professor at the University of Minnesota and advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Resources

• Peter Coy in BusinessWeek: What Good are Economists Anyway?
• About V. V. Chari