Chapter 3 explores the history of macroeconometric modeling, which emerged in Norway and the Netherlands in the 1930s and became a crucial tool in business forecasting after World War II. By enabling economists to simulate policy interventions and compare different future scenarios, macroeconometric modeling strengthened both policymakers’ and economists’ agency. While policymakers were entrusted with the responsibility to choose and engineer the “optimal” future, economists played a crucial role in shaping the realm of possible futures and limiting it. This led to a paradoxical situation where the future became both more open and more narrow. The development of macroeconometric modeling reignited hopes in the planning capabilities of individuals, prompting economists to question whether the business cycle was “obsolete” in the 1960s. However, the crises of the 1970s revealed the limitations of previous econometric approaches, leading to experimentation with new methods and a reevaluation of the role of econometric modeling in economic research. Despite this, macroeconometric modeling remained an indispensable tool for economic forecasting and decision-making.