I dunno. More and more it strikes me that people "moved by economic arguments" are in truth having already decided their position and work backwards to justify it.

It's a mix for sure. Rich sociopaths and would-be rich sociopaths definitely love econ-style arguments for a whole bunch of reasons. But for people who are more technocratic, it can be handy. "X is better and cheaper" can be powerful.

Of course, we live in an age where the nominally "fiscally responsible" people show declining interest in intellectual consistency and coherence, so maybe this argument is moving into the "elegant weapon for a more civilized age" category.