Economics aims to figure out what makes people better off and how we can have more of it. Given the number of excellent minds dedicated to this end, it's surprising how little of what they produce is actually of use to policy makers. Governments, corporations and other bodies fund research in the applied sciences, from information technology to cell biology, engineering to agriculture, because they can use it to make money or solve problems. Macroeconomics, concerned as it is with the well-being of people, should be one of the most practically important areas of all. So are the top journals in macroeconomics ... (full story)