The Political Pressure of Ignorance

For my doctoral studies, I gravitate toward the idea of researching the impact that information has on economic decisions.  One important aspect of information that has yet to be nailed down is the value of information.  How much is a given piece of information worth?  One possible way to measure the value of information is to measure the impact the information has on individuals, on an organization, or on a market.

Using this yardstick, it seems that this information would be very valuable.

In an article on TheFiscalTimes.com, Bruce Bartlett examines the mass ignorance of the American people with respect to the benefits they receive from the government.  Included in this analysis is a nifty table with some surprising figures.  I imagine if people knew how much in government spending they enjoy, the cries for budget cuts would be a lot less cacophonous.  (HT: Economix)

Advertisement