Economists for Romney

While I'm still unsure who I will vote for in the upcoming election, it is interesting that over 400 economists have stated their support for Romney on the Economists for Romney site. (Thanks for the tip, Freakonomics). This number isn't very significant, 400 is a tiny number compared to the thousands of economics professors nationwide. It's also hard to quantify since there isn't a competing Economists for Obama site, but still it's interesting to see a large number of economists publicly backing a single candidate.

The statement starts off with:

We enthusiastically endorse Governor Mitt Romney’s economic plan to create jobs and restore economic growth while returning America to its tradition of economic freedom. The plan is based on proven principles: a more contained and less intrusive federal government, a greater reliance on the private sector, a broad expansion of opportunity without government favors for special interests, and respect for the rule of law including the decision-making authority of states and localities.

Here are some of the notable economists who have backed Romney. The list includes five nobel laureates: Gary Becker, Robert Lucas, Robert Mundell, Edward Prescott, and Myron Scholes. Greg Mankiw, a Harvard professor who has written best-selling economics textbooks (his backing of Romeny is not at all surprising, as he is one of Romney's economic advisors). Being a Claremont Colleges student, I want to make note that there are also two Claremont McKenna professors who have signed the statement, Janet Smith and Colin Wright.