Paul Romer makes some interesting comments on Elinor Ostrom's Nobel Prize win. He points out that many or most economic theories depend on what he calls "skyhooks" - what I called "crucial assumptions". According to Romer assuming that people follow rules is a typical "skyhook". Rather than assuming that people would follow rules, Ostrom tried to understand where the rules came from and why they worked or didn't work. Well, I think you must have some assumptions in your research. But they should be as innocuous and reasonable as possible.
Rather a contrast to Steven Levitt's comments for example. Let alone these guys :). Of course I've heard of Ostrom. My "Ostrom number" is 2.*
Peter Martin, who supplied the link to Romer, also has a more humorous take.
* She has coauthored papers with Bob Costanza.
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