This text has been translated from Norwegian with the assistance of GPT UiO.
– I think the lecture went very well. We were given a demonstration of what economists can say about questions of interest far beyond the classical discipline of economics, as well as what can be achieved with first-rate data of the kind we are fortunate to have in the Nordic countries.
That is according to Jo Thori Lind, deputy head at the Department of Economics, who was responsible for hosting this year’s annual Eilert Sundt lecture.
More capable than most people
Lind explains that Torsten Persson and his co-authors have been pioneers in combining administrative register data, which the authorities collect on all of us, with data on political candidates. In this way, they have been able, according to Lind, to examine all elected representatives in Sweden and compare them with everyone who stood on a list but was not elected, and everyone who did not stand on any list, to assess how representative politicians are of the general population.
– Persson’s research shows that in many ways they resemble most people, but they stand out by being more capable, including as measured by aptitude tests at military conscription.
– If we want politicians who can govern well, that is indeed a positive finding, he emphasises, adding that Torsten Persson has for decades been one of the most visible economists in the Nordic countries.
A driving force
According to Lind, he has been absolutely central to the formation of the field of political economy, which took shape in its current form in the 1990s.
The field of political economy, Lind elaborates, is rooted in economic methodology but analyses questions at the intersection of economics and political science, such as what kinds of policies are chosen under which economic conditions.
– Bringing one of the discipline’s pioneers to Oslo was a great experience for many of us, he concludes.