The debate in the US on economics in the policy sphere has suddenly exploded with discussion of the Green New Deal and taxation on the wealthy. Much of this is thanks to the outstanding communication skills of the new Democratic congresswoman, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortes. Even the pretty arcane subject of Modern Monetary Theory is now relatively widely discussed as a result of her narrative. Is this an opportunity for a broader conversation about economics? An embrace of pluralism?
Sherry Kasper, a recently retired institutional economist, an economic adviser to her local Democratic candidate in the Republican bastion state of Tennessee. The Mint talked to her about taking on mainstream economic nostrums, the influence and integrity of economists in politics and the prospects for the Green New Deal.