Caroline Pellegrin,Introduction, Question Six

I had always assumed that the study of Economics could be used to solve important monetary issues or provide insight on government policies, but I was not aware that this discipline could shed such critical light on social injustice. I always presumed that one of the primary characteristics of Economics was that it does not take into account personal and emotional implications, but Charles Wheelan's illustration of the symphony orchestra injustice says otherwise. Within this illustration economic thought and investigation was used to prove that serious prejudice against women existed during the hiring process of many symphony orchestras. This concept was similarly applied to demonstrate people's reactions to a seemingly just affirmative action policy. So, Economics isn't a tedious and limited study, but rather one that can provide critical insight and explanation to social events and movements.