As sources, economists can help you better understand the economy and explain the impact of economic policy to your audience. If you cover business, money or the economy, follow the experts for their commentary, tips and insights about issues you might want to cover and localize.
Here is a list of well-regarded economists with an active Twitter presence.
1. Dean Baker
About the economist: Dean Baker (@DeanBaker13) is co-director of the Center for Economic Policy Research, a left-leaning economic policy think tank. According to CEPR, Baker studies housing, macroeconomics, intellectual property, Social Security, Medicare and European labor markets.
What he tweets: Follow Baker for frequent information about domestic economic policy. Baker also tweets out posts of his blog, Beat the Press (@beat_the_press), which explores all things related to economic reporting.
2. Michael Clemens
About the economist: Michael Clemens (@m_clem) does economic research about migration and the developing world for the Center for Global Development. He’s researched economic development, public finance and foreign aid.
What he tweets: Clemens tweets information relating to immigration, global migration and the economic impacts of both. He also curates other reports and articles from economists and policy makers.
3. Tyler Cowen
About the economist: Tyler Cowen (@tylercowen) teaches at George Mason University, blogs for Marginal Revolution, a site that takes on the day’s economic stories and makes policy recommendations. He also writes about “the economics of culture” on topics like food and fame.
What he tweets: Cowen retweets frequently. In addition to linking out to his blog posts at Marginal Revolution (@MargRev) he tweets about current events, new reports and data releases.
4. Alicia García-Herrero
About the economist: If you’re interested in learning about emerging markets, specifically those in Asia, you should follow Alicia García-Herrero (@Aligarciaherrer), an economist for those specializing in Asia Pacific markets. She also teaches economics in Hong Kong and is a senior fellow at the European economics think tank, Bruegel, and writes for its publications.
What she tweets: García-Herrero tweets about emerging markets–Asia and South America, for instance. She curates articles and blog posts that she writes but also shares other articles and comments on her topics of interest.
5. Megan Greene
About the Economist: Megan Greene (@economistmeg) knows international economics and macroeconomics. She’s worked for a number of global consulting organizations advising investors internationally. Greene writes a column for Ireland’s Sunday Business Post.
What she tweets: If you’re looking for international economics information, follow Greene. Not only does she frequently address international economic issues on Twitter, but she also retweets others’ commentaries adding context and perspective.
6. Paul Krugman
About the economist: Paul Krugman (@NYTimeskrugman) is a New York Times columnist, but he’s also a well-regarded economist and has authored dozens of books. He specializes in international trade and finance as well as economic and currency crises, according to the Times. His is a frequent content creator and pushes out multiple columns a day for his Times blog The Conscience of a Liberal.
What he tweets: On Twitter, Krugman mostly tweets out his Times column, but this Nobel laureate is worth following for that alone.
7. Annamaria Lusardi
About the economist: Annamaria Lusardi (@A_Lusardi) teaches economics and accountancy at the George Washington University School of Business, and blogs about financial literacy and education—she is an especially helpful resource if you’re looking to put together how-to features or a service package.
What she tweets: Lusardi tweets on financial literacy and comments on other tweets about educational programs helping everyday people understand their finances. She also tweets on issues pertaining to women and millennials.
8. Betsey Stevenson
About the economist: Betsey Stevenson (@BetseyStevenson) is at Michigan University’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and a labor economist specializing on the impact of public policy on employment, according to Michigan U. She served as the Labor Department’s Chief Economist from 2010 to 2011 and was a key economic advisor to the Obama Administration until August 2015.
What she tweets: Stevenson is good to follow if you’re interested in policy about labor and employment issues. She also comments on timely issues and is a big fan of statistics and data.
9. Joseph Stiglitz
About the economist: Joseph Stiglitz (@JosephEStiglitz) is a Nobel laureate economist who teaches at Columbia University and is the senior economist at the Roosevelt Institute, an economic public policy group. Stiglitz has made a name for himself challenging economic inequality. He’s released a book Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy outlining changes to address American income inequality.
What he tweets: Stiglitz mostly tweets about inequality and shares links to his articles and blogs that cover similar topics.
10. Mark Thoma
About the economist: Mark Thoma (@MarkThoma) teaches macroeconomics at the University of Oregon. He’s researching monetary policy and its impact on the larger economy. He keeps a good record of his written work on his Typepad blog.
What he tweets: Thoma is a great Twitter curator, and pushes out multiple blogs and columns written by other economists (some named in this list) in addition to his own posts.
We also suggest that you build relationships with your local economists or economics professors who can add context to the next business or economic story.
