Analysis: What do politicians really think of economists?

Dr Anna Killick - Dr Anna Killick (UCL Political Science) shares new research in The Conversation revealing how politicians from five countries view economists based on nearly 100 interviews, particularly in light on the 2008 financial crisis. As countries across Europe and around the world grapple with high living costs and impending recession, voters are concerned about the economy and how their elected representatives will fix it. For many, it's tempting to call on politicians to cede some of their power to economic experts. Politicians might be more able to make difficult or unpopular (but necessary) decisions if they could argue they were following expert advice, as they did during the pandemic. But our new research reveals what politicians, when asked in private, really think about economists. Our team at UCL conducted nearly 100 in-depth interviews with economic ministers, opposition spokespeople and economic committee members. They were from five countries - France, Germany, Denmark, the UK and US - and across the party spectrum from the right-wing Alternative fur Deutschland to the French Communist party.