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Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS)

 

Cogs and Monsters: economists, experts and measuring progress

Tuesday 20th November 2018

Economists have long offered advice as if for a clockwork universe, and for long enough this analytical tradition has made economics highly influential in public policy. Now, though, their expertise is disdained, economic 'facts' become matters of opinion, and belief in the idea of economic progress appears to be fading. Ideas have a dangerous habit of bringing about their own reality; so rethinking how to define and measure prosperity, and reflecting on the role of economics in public policy, have become pressing challenges.

Professor Diane Coyle is the new Bennett Professor of Public Policy in the Department of Politics and International Studies.