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It's not just economists. I recall professors in other departments were contacted for "consulting" work. General Electric offered one political science professor a lucrative hourly rate (I think it was $650/hr) to consult on a legal case for the Dabhol power plant. This was years ago, so surely the fees have gotten larger. The professor turned it down for other reasons but said it would have been "easy money".

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Based on my personal experience, that seems like a fairly typical ballpark number for hired expert work in legal cases. It can take a big chunk of time (and it may not see the light of day), but it can be interesting and the pay is quite good.

Take the money, write the op. But before sending it off, offer the academic you disagree with most fervently half, and ask her/him to write a counter-opinion. Publish both.

And never get asked again.

> And never get asked again.

I understand that jononor's post https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12971712 was describing the most intellectually honest, rather than most profitable, approach; and in that capacity it's not clear, I think, that your objection is really an objection.

Indeed it is not clear. ;-)

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