, Columnist
Economic Experts Still Rule -- at Least for Dutch
Grading political parties by their promises is admirable. Whether it helps voters is another story.
So. Many. Facts.
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One of the most endearingly odd election rituals on the planet took place this morning in The Hague. The CPB1487337459273 Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis put out its scorecard of the election platforms of 11 Dutch political parties for the March 15 election.
There are similar rituals in other countries. In the U.S., for example, the Congressional Budget Office offers analyses of the fiscal impact of actual legislation, while various nongovernmental entities attempt to calculate the consequences of presidential candidates' tax plans.