Economists in International Agencies

Great quote from a lifer OECD economist (Stephen Morris) from 1986.

"Working for a long time at two or three removes from actual decision making, people working in international organizations can easily get out of touch with political reality and become over impressed by their own supposed omniscience. At the same time, because they do not have the power of a national government behind them, and can never be sure what real influence they have, they can become overly sensitive, defensive, or defensively aggressive."

Sounds kind of familiar.

Coats, A.W., The Role of Economists in Government and International Agencies: A Fresh Look at the Field, History of Economics Review