Politicians and Economic Experts: The Limits of Technocracy - Softcover

Killick, Anna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1788215656 ISBN 13: 9781788215657

Publisher: Agenda Publishing, 2022

Synopsis

When it comes to economic policy-making, should politicians be responsive to voters, or responsible to future generations? The need to find economic solutions to the climate crisis is leading many to call for a greater role for experts to guide politicians, a new “economic technocracy”. Based on interviews with politicians and advisers from France, Germany, Denmark, the UK and USA, this book reveals why deferring to the experts is neither viable nor desirable, and how we have to trust politicians to take the lead role in solving economic problems.

The book provides an in-depth analysis of how politicians from the main parties think about economics and economists. It finds that politicians have clear and strong moral visions for what they want to achieve economically, visions that are strikingly diverse and contested. Although many are excellent communicators, only some have sought to convey complicated economic messages to voters, with many increasingly uneasy about technocracy undermining democracy. The book reveals how politicians judge the need to be both responsive and responsible and what role expert economic opinion plays in that balancing act.

About this title

About the Author

Anna Killick is a research fellow in the Department of Political Science, University College London. She is the author of Rigged: Understanding "the Economy" in Brexit Britain (2020).

Edition details

• Publisher: Agenda Publishing
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1788215656
• ISBN 13: 9781788215657
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240