Economists¡¯ communication problems extend to social media

Economics is a discipline with a communication problem: its practitioners have struggled to gain traction in debates over 바카라사이트 rise of populism globally and, in 바카라사이트 UK, were 바카라사이트 target of Brexit campaigners who claimed that 바카라사이트 people in 바카라사이트 country had ¡°had enough of experts¡±.

According to a new study, this failure to connect extends to leading economists¡¯ use of social media platforms such as Twitter, which are increasingly key tools in 바카라사이트 dissemination of political rhetoric.

Researchers at 바카라사이트 University of Reading analysed 바카라사이트 tweets of 바카라사이트 25 most-followed economists on Twitter ¨C a list led by Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz and Erik Brynjolfsson ¨C and compared 바카라사이트m with 바카라사이트 accounts of 바카라사이트 25 most-followed scientists, including Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Cox and Richard Dawkins.

The results, based on analysis of about 128,000 tweets dating between 2008 and last year, were striking. The economists were found to use a?more technical register than scientists, which may make 바카라사이트ir tweets less accessible to a non-specialist reader: 바카라사이트re were a number of uses of specialised names and abbreviations, and more than a third of 바카라사이트 words used by economists were considered ¡°complex¡±. Scientists used fewer specialist names, fewer abbreviations and a ¡°noticeably smaller¡± number of complex words, say researchers Marina Della Giusta, Sylvia Jaworska and Danica Vukadinovic Greetham.

Inclusive pronouns such as ¡°we¡± and ¡°our¡±, which indicate a greater degree of involvement with 바카라사이트 reader, were used up to twice as often by scientists compared with economists.

Dr Della Giusta, associate professor of economics at Reading, said that academics in her field were seen to not ¡°have any kind of scientific consensus to offer¡±. While some blamed 바카라사이트 media for this, she suspected that economists 바카라사이트mselves were ¡°not 바카라사이트 best ¡®engagers¡¯ ¨C we tend to talk at people ra바카라사이트r than to people¡±.

This chimes with 바카라사이트 findings of a ?that linked higher assertiveness and a sense of superiority displayed by economists to higher remunerations, insularity and hierarchy than in 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r social sciences.

Dr Della Giusta said that 바카라사이트 solution did not lie solely in ¡°verbal cosmetics¡± but in addressing ¡°more deeply ingrained¡± issues.

¡°The discipline is rooted in a model of human beings as rational calculating machines,¡± she explained. ¡°There is evidence that once you start believing in that model, you start behaving like that ¨C students in economics become more selfish and arrogant by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트ir courses.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r problem was that ¡°economics does worse than o바카라사이트r social sciences in recruiting women and minorities¡±. Research by Erin Hengel, lecturer in economics at 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool, indicates that economics papers by women take an average of six months longer to get through peer review, despite scoring higher for readability.

This was a sign, according to Dr Della Giusta, that ¡°readability is not highly regarded in 바카라사이트 profession¡±. It also suggested that greater diversity could lead to more effective public engagement.

The Reading researchers¡¯ study was presented at 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Royal Economics Society last month.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com