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Abstract
The role of economists in a society - The role of economists in a society is linked to their ability to explain and to forecast. But the error is to « think one knows». The criticisms of Leontieff concerning the inadequate analysis of facts by many economists should alert us to the real meaning of statistics : beware of false categories. The relationship between economists and men of action remains a delicate affair, in so far as politicians, used to handling men, think they know the real world better than research-workers. But even then research must be centred on the vital points of the agricultural branch ; the survival of inequality, competition for land, the difficulty of orientationg production, the democratic management of integrated units etc... Finally those who possess this knowledge are often reluctant to let these men study and solve then own problems themselves. The position of research services is a difficult one, for they reveal situations of conflict.