Politicians and Economic Experts

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Cover — Half Title — Title Page — Copyright Page — Contents — Preface and acknowledgements — 1 Do we need more economic experts? — The need for a new “technocracy”? — The need for politicians’ perspectives on economic experts — The politicians in this book — Plan of the book — Part I Politicians’ respect for economists and voters — 2 Politicians’ respect for economists — The “morality” of politicians’ economic goals — One-quarter of politicians paying scant attention to economists — Respect for economic experts: perceptions of objectivity — The usefulness of economic experts — Declining respect for economists — Shouldering “responsibility” — Which economists are respected? — Conclusion — 3 Politicians’ relationships with voters — “Understandably” self-interested voters — Qualified judgements about voters’ lack of economic understanding — The first part of responsiveness: listening to voters — The second part of responsiveness: “persuading” — Conclusion — Part II Ideological and national variations — 4 The resurgent left’s view of economists — The moral nature of left-wing politicians’ economic goals — European confidence and American timidity — Attitudes to economists: centre-left “Keynesianism” — The far left’s attention, to heterodox economists only — The left and calls for technocracy — Conclusion — 5 Denmark and Germany: “home-grown” economists — Denmark: the Scandinavian welfare model — “Responsible” economic policies: Danish consensus — Danish attitudes to economists — Germany — “Responsible”: ordoliberalism — Respect for ordoliberal economists — Responsiveness — Conclusion: the most respectful towards economists — 6 France: pluralist economics and populist threat — Diverging ideas about what “responsible” economic ideas are — The left — The right — La République en Marche — Contestation.