The Worldly Economists

New York: The Free Press (A Macmillan Division), 1980 On dustjacket flap: Before 1930, professional economists in the United States were essentially academics, occasionally working on the periphery of government. But as we enter the 1980s, the status of the professional economist has undergone a tremendous change. With more than a foot in the door of government, and with frequent appearances on radio and television, columns in newspapers and magazines, lecture tours, and best-selling books, economists have assumed something approaching celebrity status. In The Worldly Economists, Robert Sobel analyzes the astonishing rise to prominence of some dozen or so major political economists who have become intimate advisors of presidents and highly influential in determining government policy. From Leon Keyserling, who was active in the Roosevelt and Truman eras, to Fred Kahn, President Carter's current Economic Czar, Sobel discusses the major impact these economists have had on government decision-making, as they leave the classroom and move to the very center of political and economic power. Sobel argues that Americans' tendency to seek solutions from experts has caused economists such as John Kenneth Galbraith, Milton Friedman, Paul Samuelson, and William Simon to be thrust into the popular limelight. In this book, he candidly discusses their personalities and translates some of their ideas and thoughts into language accessible to the layman who is affected dailyand inevitably, by the economy's twists and turns. Sobel devotes a chapter to each economist, and presents two chapters that deal with the ongoing economic debate in Washington from the late 1960s to the beginning of the 1980s. He provides clear state ments on complex economic theories, discusses their evolution, and identifies the exponents of these theories. No other book discusses these men, their ideas and personalities, and the policies with which they have been associated in such a clear, understandable manner. For the individual with an interest in current economic policy, in how government actually functions, and in the economist as an activist symbol in today's popular culture, The Worldly Economists offers an inside look at the people who predict, analyze, and may even help solve, today's economic crisis. ---------------------------------------- 260 with b/w pages. Protective plastic cover. ---------- Orders of $100.00 or more are shipped using tracked courier delivery services. Size: Approx 6½ " Wide and 9½ " Tall