Political scientists of the world, unite... in sticking it to economists

Posted By Daniel W. Drezner Thursday, December 24, 2009 - 12:09 AM Share

I had way too much fun delivering my latest commentary for Marketplace, on how economists ~~can go suck it~~ have encountered some setbacks this year compared to political scientists:

For decades, there was a clear but unspoken pecking order in the social sciences. Economists were royalty, and every other discipline was part of the peasantry. Economists were treated as real scholars, with their very own Nobel Prize and everything.

Political scientists, on the other hand, were mocked for having the word "science" in the title. The old joke goes that an economist who switches to studying political science raises the average intelligence of both disciplines. It's not true, but the perception is powerful. Powerful enough for Sen. Tom Coburn to have tried scrapping National Science Foundation funding for "poli sci" earlier this year.

Coburn's effort failed, however, and for good reason -- 2009 was a banner year for political scientists, and a not-so-banner year for economists.

You can listen to the whole thing by clicking here.

It's not an entirely fair commentary to either profession -- you try capturing the subtle interplay of these disciplines in under 350 words. But damn, it was fun to say out loud.

EXPLORE:ACADEMIA, BAD POLITICAL SCIENCE BEHAVIOR, ECONOMICS, FINANCIAL MELTDOWN, POLITICAL SCIENCE

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GRANT

3:09 AM ET

December 25, 2009

A word to anyone with a

A word to anyone with a brain, don't mock political scientists. Just one good one can practically guarantee you an election or the right speech to get the masses on your side in time for the coup. Economists might be useful for a time of prosperity, but when the inevitable recession happens they won't be too useful in helping you ride out the ill-informed, populist sentiment that threatens your position.

PENNFLYER

11:00 AM ET

December 25, 2009

i have studied both sciences

i have studied both sciences as part of PPE and tend to find a palpable strangeness factor in most economists, ranging from 'quite' to 'alienlike', while political scientists are usually interesting and curious people capable of accessing diverse thought-patterns. talking to an economist is like going to see a doctor and realizing that you've just spent an hour with a dentist.

ADMIRAL

7:28 PM ET

December 25, 2009

Economist Royalty Created by Wall Street

Economists are the best useful idiots ever paid for by Wall Street. They did not become "Royalty" by accident. Wall Street proped them up as "Experts" to the public. American journalists love "Experts" and prop them up even higher. Who can forget the "Maestro"? Fact is that Greenspan is nothing more than a stooge that fronted for the largest black market of all times.