Paul Krugman is a Nobel Prize-winning economist. new york times The columnist claimed without evidence that official economic statistics would be manipulated under the incoming Trump administration.
in Recent interview with new republicKrugman said that under the incoming Trump administration, government economic indicators will be distorted to favor the president's policies.
“At some point next year, we're going to have to look at indicators of what's really going on with the economy,” Krugman said, adding that official statistics on issues like the economy and crime could become “corrupt.” I was warned that there would be.
Krugman provided no evidence for this claim. Instead, it draws dubious historical parallels to the Obama era, when some business leaders claimed that official data, particularly inflation and payroll numbers, had been manipulated. He maintains that there is also no evidence and that these accusations were predictions of a conservative agenda of data manipulation.
“Last time, going back to the Obama era, there were a lot of inflation truthers who claimed that inflation numbers were manipulated to make it seem like there was less inflation than there actually was. Is there one? they are That’s not what actually happened, that’s what it would be,” Krugman said.
At the time, former General Electric CEO Jack Welch and others claimed that employment statistics during President Obama's tenure were “manipulated” to boost his chances of re-election. These accusations have been thoroughly discredited by experts, including Keith Hall, then director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), who acknowledged that data collection was handled by career civil servants who operated independently of political influence. It was revealed to be false.
“Even if the U.S. government wanted to manipulate the monthly employment report, it would be impossible to accomplish that, said the former director of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.” wall street journal reported.
Krugman's conspiracy theory ignores the structural safeguards that make U.S. economic data the most reliable in the world. Agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau have a long tradition of independence and are staffed by career experts who follow rigorous methodologies. The idea that these institutions could be taken over on a large scale without provoking massive protests from within and outside the government is implausible.
“The idea that anyone, including the president, can influence the collection, collection, and analysis of data is based on the depth and breadth of detail, and the rigor with which this information is run by career government statisticians, completely compiled.” They don't understand the process. They're misguided,” said Joe LaVogna, managing director and chief economist at SMBC Nikko Securities America.
Spokespeople for BLS and BEA did not respond to requests for comment.
Krugman's warning comes ahead of Trump's inauguration, promising sweeping economic changes, including new trade policies and possible tax cuts. While disagreements over policy direction are to be expected, accusations of data manipulation provide a political narrative with little basis in fact.
