Misadventures of Dismal Scientists?

In a review of the book The Nobel Factor: The Prize in Economics, Social Democracy, and the Market Turn, by Avner Offer and Gabriel Söderberg, Siddharth Singh writes: "There’s something about the appeal of data to economists who are attracted to social democracy. The wretched condition of the poor, [...]. Who in her right mind will deny these facts? If only economists were to theorise keeping in mind these facts, then maybe, just maybe, the world will be a better place."