Economics isn't ideology-free and it's misleading to suggest it is

Trying to answer policy questions with economics is bound to involve ideology

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently commented that when it comes to Australia’s energy supply:

“policymakers have put ideology and politics ahead of engineering and economics”.

It’s not uncommon for a politician to accuse other politicians of being subservient to ideology on some issue. But to couch this accusation in terms of a choice between “the economics” or “just ideology” is problematic.

We should be highly sceptical of claims that the pronouncements of economists about real world economic problems stand above any ideological influence. This might in turn allow for a more sober assessment of what economics can and can’t deliver.

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