TO THE EDITOR:

Re “When the Scientist Is Also a Philosopher” (Economic View, March 23), in which N. Gregory Mankiw described political intrusion into economists’ policy advice:

The column suffered from some of the same faults it found in others’ economic views, especially in its arguments against raising the minimum wage and against the Affordable Care Act.

Yes, a higher minimum wage may cause some employers to reduce their work force. But more pay for workers at the lower end of the income spectrum increases spending in local communities and thus increases overall employment as businesses hire to meet the increased demand. Why are so many economists ignoring the well-established multiplier effect? It should also be noted that many employer-worker negotiations suffer from an extreme imbalance of power.

Many people who recently had their health insurance canceled because of its failure to meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act may very well have been satisfied with their policies, but this may be because they had never put them to the test and discovered their deficiencies.

JOHN A. DAWSON

BALA CYNWYD, PA., MARCH 24

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TO THE EDITOR:

Professor Mankiw’s admonition that economists and policy makers adopt the maxim of “first, do no harm,” would be more persuasive if his column acknowledged the harm that old policies have caused.