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Notes -
I think that what is "productive" is obviously a value judgement. Someone whose contribution to the economy is to lower the market price for contract killings is obviously not what most people have in mind when they think of a productive member of society. One way to model this is to say that murder has very high externalities which the compensation structure fails to address.
Of course, while most people might agree on some cases like the contract killer not being considered productive and a physician curing some debilitating illness being productive, the quantification of the externalities of lot of different occupations is in the eye of the beholder. What for might be an innocent way to improve people's life might for someone else exemplify everything that is wrong with society. Sesame street, recreational fentanyl use, warhammer, cigarettes, cosmetic surgery, prostitution, fast cars, organized religion, alcohol, daycare for kids, social media, electric lights, abortions, candy, veggie burgers, beef burgers, small arms, pornography, cosmetic products, video games, AI capabilities, warfare capabilities, caffeine, assisted suicide, rap music, are all things where some people will disagree about the externalities.
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