Final answer:
An op-ed advocating for a particular economic policy is a normative statement, expressing what should be done according to the author's values and opinions, as opposed to a positive statement which describes testable facts and real-world behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
An op-ed piece in a newspaper urging the adoption of a particular economic policy would be an example of a normative statement. The distinction between normative and positive statements is a fundamental concept in economics and philosophy. Normative statements express judgments or prescriptions about what ought to be, based on values and opinions, and are not directly testable or provable. In contrast, positive statements are descriptive and factual, dealing with what is, and can be tested for truth or falsehood.
For example, if an op-ed argues that the government should raise the minimum wage to reduce poverty, it is making a normative statement because it is based on the belief that reducing poverty is an action the government ought to take. This is different from a positive statement which would focus on analyzing or predicting the effects of raising the minimum wage without making a judgment about whether such a policy change should occur.