Economist

An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics.

This article is about the profession. For the news publication, see The Economist. For other uses, see Economist (disambiguation).

The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are many sub-fields, ranging from the broad philosophical theories to the focused study of minutiae within specific markets, macroeconomic analysis, microeconomic analysis or financial statement analysis, involving analytical methods and tools such as econometrics, statistics, economics computational models, financial economics, mathematical finance and mathematical economics.

Economic analysts employed and in other large corporates, provide the (long term) economic forecasts used within their organizations. Relatedly, they consult to fund managers, risk managers, and corporate analysts re their investment strategy / capital budgeting decisions. Particularly in the tech sector, ^[5] the focus may be microeconomic, addressing pricing, competition, and customer behavior. Re. either perspective, (chief) economists are also often included ^[6] in strategy formulation.

in financial institutions

In the , analysts advise legislators and executives on economic policy, public works, and related; politicians often consult economists before enacting economic policy; and many statesmen have academic degrees in economics. A Federal Government Economic Analyst ^[7] conducts economic analysis of issues directly related to the function of their federal government agency.

public sector

Economists work in many fields including^[1] academia, government and in the private sector, where they may also "study data and statistics in order to spot trends in economic activity, economic confidence levels, and consumer attitudes. They assess this information using advanced methods in statistical analysis, mathematics, computer programming [and] they make recommendations about ways to improve the efficiency of a system or take advantage of trends as they begin."^[2] In addition to government and academia, economists are also employed in banking, finance, accountancy, commerce, marketing, business administration, lobbying and non- or not-for profit organizations.^[3]

In many organizations, an "Economic Analyst" is a formalized role. ^[4] Professionals here are employed (or engaged as consultants) to conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans and strategies to address economic problems. Here, as outlined, the analyst provides forecasts, analysis and advice, based upon observed trends and economic principles; this entails also collecting and processing economic and statistical data using econometric methods and statistical techniques.

In contrast to regulated professions such as engineering, law or medicine, there is not a legally required educational requirement or license for economists. In academia, most economists have a Ph.D. degree in Economics. In the U.S. Government, on the other hand, a person can be hired as an economist provided that they have a degree that included or was supplemented by 21 semester hours in economics and three hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.^[8] In fact, a professional working inside of one of many fields of economics or having an academic degree in this subject is often considered to be an economist; ^[1] see Bachelor of Economics and Master of Economics.

Scottish economist and philosopher. Known as "The Father of Economics".

Adam Smith

English economist well known for forming the basis of Keynesian economics

John Maynard Keynes

English Keynesian economist.

Joan Robinson

German philosopher and economist known for founding Marxist Economics.

Karl Marx

(b. 1933), Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureate and professor at Harvard University.

Amartya Sen

Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureate and professor at Stanford University.

Kenneth Arrow

(b. 1930), Israeli-American mathematician, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 2005.

Robert Aumann

Indian scholar, jurist, economist, politician and social reformer. The Reserve Bank of India was conceptualized in accordance with the guidelines presented by Ambedkar to the Hilton Young Commission (also known as Royal Commission on Indian Currency and Finance) based on his book, The Problem of the Rupee – Its Origin and Its Solution.

B. R. Ambedkar

Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014.

Ben Bernanke

Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureate and professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Esther Duflo

Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureate.

Milton Friedman

Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureate and professor at Harvard University.

Claudia Goldin

Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006.

Alan Greenspan

2000 Nobel Prize winner and Professor at University of Chicago; most cited economist as of 2018.

James Heckman

Dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Business; Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2001 to 2003.

Glenn Hubbard

American economist and historian of economic thought.

Thomas M. Humphrey

2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureate, public intellectual, and advocate of modern liberal policies.

Paul Krugman

American macroeconomist, academic economist, public intellectual, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2003 to 2005.

Greg Mankiw

2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics winner, critic of inequality and the governance of globalization, and former World Bank Chief Economist.

Joseph Stiglitz

Zambian-born international economist and author who analyzes the macroeconomy and global affairs.

Dambisa Moyo

American economist and social theorist, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Thomas Sowell

., 1995 Nobel Prize in Economics winner.

Robert Lucas Jr

2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics Sciences winner, known for his work on markets with asymmetric information

George Akerlof

member of American Economic Association, 2018 King Juan Carlos Prize in Economics winner.

Carmen Reinhart

1990 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences winner.

William Forsyth Sharpe

2010 Nobel Prize in Economics winner.

Christopher Antoniou Pissarides

2019 Presidential Medal of Freedom winner.

Arthur Laffer

Professor of Sustainable Development at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, 2015 Blue Planet Prize winner.

Jeffrey Sachs

Austrian economist and philosopher, author of Human Action.

Ludwig von Mises

Austrian economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureate and author of The Road to Serfdom.