Dopo la crisi: le responsabilità dell’economista come ricercatore, docente e cittadino

The Great Recession triggered by the subprime mortgage crisis raised serious questions on the responsibility of the economists as intellectuals, advisors and decision makers. This essay focuses on the responsibility of the academic economist in his role of researcher, teacher, divulgator, inspirer and supporter of a specific ideology (sometimes malgré lui). In the light of this analysis, the author briefly discusses the limits of the institutionalized and centralized evaluation systems of research quality recently adopted in many countries, and suggests an alternative approach to the evaluation of the merit of academic economists centred on the zeal shown in complying with all their duties.