The danger of heads of state and government not understanding economics

Some large OECD countries are now led, or in the case of Italy have until recently been led, by a head of state or government who lacks an understanding of economics and implements inefficient and dangerous economic policies. This obviously poses a serious threat to the global economy. We will look at four important examples: Donald Trump and protectionism in the United States; Boris Johnson and Brexit in the United Kingdom; Matteo Salvini and the mis understanding of Italy’s structural problems; and Angela Merkel and the support for a bygone economic model in Germany.