University of Denver Winter 2023

Ethics and the economists The philosopher Thomas Carlyle called economics “the dismal science.” George DeMartino, a professor at DU’s Josef Korbel School of Inter national Studies, argues that its practitioners are trained to be cava lier regarding the harm they cause, however inadvertently. In “ The Tragic Science: How Economists Cause Harm (Even as losing side of policy decisions—in other words, those who lose their livelihoods and even their lives owing to economic interventions. He makes the case that all too often, economic policies, though perhaps intended to right a listing ship, cause enduring and

ment engaged in horrifying forms of torture, politicians and the public at large continued to excuse the practice or look the other way. In 2016, still preoccupied by the persistence of denial, he began exploring the topic in an elective course designed to examine the political dynamics of what he calls “a core social practice.”

His new title scrutinizes the various and many strategies of denial and their effects. And these are not minimal. After all, denial may offer some initial relief, but the problems don’t go away. Denial actually makes many of them worse. “I wrote ‘Denial’ to help readers recognize the many forms of denial that we’re likely to encounter, whether in our interactions to others or in the culture at large,” Del Rosso says. “The book is, in a sense, a field guide to denial— describing, defining and illustrating these forms. My hope is that by recognizing these forms, we’re better able to assess the consequences of denial and possibly disrupt its use.”

They Aspire to Do Good) ” (University of Chicago Press, 2022), DeMartino raises ethical objections to what he calls his profession’s “brazen attitude” toward those on the

Del Rosso talks about how denial in his hometown per petuated racism and antisemitism at magazine.du.edu.

irreparable damage. In attempting to, say, tame inflation, manage a financial crisis, promote urban redevelopment or increase international trade, economists call for policies that exact high tolls from people who can least afford them. Economists, not surprisingly, are taking notice—and sometimes umbrage, suggesting that the book is too hard on the profession. Harvard University’s Cass Sunstein, an expert on behavioral economics who served under President Barack Obama in the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, analyzes the book’s arguments in the New York Review of Books. Although Sunstein quibbles with some of DeMartino’s positions, he lauds the Korbel professor’s insistence that economists “need to attend to those who are struggling the most.”

Toward a better understanding of a rising China In “ The Dragon Roars Back ” (Stanford University Press, 2022), Suisheng Zhao, one of the world’s most influential scholars on China’s inter national affairs, reminds readers that the People’s Republic’s foreign policy has been shaped and refash ioned by three leaders—Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping. Each

of them pursued security, prosperity and power in trans formational ways that often perplexed the international foreign policy establishment. A better understanding of how these leaders perceived the world is critical to assessing how Xi Jinping is likely to lead China as it roars back. As

Denial and its dilemmas

When personal and social prob lems threaten our security and peace of mind, denial offers a way out. “Us ing denial, we can maintain a sense of normalcy, even when we encounter information to the contrary.” Those are the words of Jared Del Rosso, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Crim inology and author of “ Denial: How

Christopher R. Hill, former dean of the Josef Korbel School of Interna tional Studies and former assistant secretary of state for East Asia/Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, puts it: “China is indeed roaring back, and the issue of how the West

responds will shape the policy landscape for decades to come. We need to understand China’s policy history far better than we do, and Zhao’s scholarship puts all who read this on a far better course to do so.” Zhao’s expertise has been cultivated over several de cades. The author of nine books and monographs on China, he’s the founding editor of the Journal of Contemporary China and director of the Korbel School’s Center for China- U.S. Cooperation.

We Hide, Ignore, and Explain Away Problems ” (New York University Press, 2022). The problems in question range from the massive and overwhelming (think climate change and antisemitism) to the everyday and inconvenient (think “strangers feigning unawareness of the distress of another on a busy city street”). Del Rosso became preoccupied with the pervasiveness of denial when he was researching his 2015 book, “Talking About Torture.” Despite solid evidence that the U.S. govern

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