Analyzing highly political issues logically

“This question is very relevant for the teaching of social sciences such as economics. In my introductory lecture in particular, I almost always deal with topics that are discussed controversially in the media and on which there are a wide variety of political views; this is what makes the field particularly interesting. In the first lecture, I address this directly. I would like to emphasize that the primary aim of the University is to convey the less controversial fundamentals of economics. I often call it the mechanics, i.e. the established knowledge about how an economy works and which economic policy changes usually trigger which economic responses.

The often hotly debated issue of fair income distribution, on the other hand, is a political issue that should be addressed as a citizen, but not as an analytical economist. However, economics can indirectly contribute by analyzing how politically desired redistribution can be achieved with as little waste of resources as possible. In this way, economics can be taught on a 'technical’ level despite topics that sometimes seem highly political.

As an economist, I never publicly endorse the views of certain political parties or stakeholder organizations and I am deliberately not a member of any party. This is one of the reasons why it has always been easy for me to nip any attempts at appropriation in the bud.”