How do economists shape central bank policy? Do we need to place our focus on the legitimating discourses of economists, be they within or outside of central banks; or do we also need to understand the policy devices - ways of observing the economy, measuring developments within it and tools to act upon this information - which are developed by these economists? Which dangers are envisioned/anticipated by these measuring devices and which policy actions do they facilitate?

To discuss these questions, WCF invited Matthias Thiemann, Assistant Professor for European Public Policy at Science Po, Paris. In this talk, Matthias analyses why certain ideas that gained prominence post-crisis are translated into policy tools, while others are eschewed by policy makers.