Technocrats argue that politicians ought to listen more to experts, because, in today's complex world, experts are necessary to help them deliver economic policies that can be defined as “responsible”; in the long-term interests of all. But how likely is it that politicians will agree to listen more to economic experts? A crucial consideration is how far they respect the authority of economists. I start by showing how politicians think about the starting point for their economic policies, their economic goals. At this goal level, economists do not seem to have influenced them very much. But politicians may feel the need for expert advice when they come to think about how to fulfil those goals. Here we need to explore whether they see economists as experts. I take the criteria for judging expertise: of technical knowledge, objectivity and independence. First, how far do politicians agree that economists are objective and independent? Second, I take the other criterion of expertise: technical knowledge. Do politicians find economists’ technical knowledge useful? This helps to build a picture both of how far politicians respect the authority of economists (Hirschman & Berman 2014) and of how far they have seen economists as driving economic policy up until now.

The “morality” of politicians’ economic goals

Most supporters of technocracy accept that politicians should continue to set economic goals, competing with other politicians with different goals. The politicians agree; at no point in any of the interviews do they propose that it might be legitimate for experts to set goals.