When experts share similar political or cultural values that are distant from the general public, their technical judgments are perceived as political, weakening public trust. This dynamic makes it harder to build broad support for policies with technical components, because disagreement looks like a values dispute rather than a factual one.
— If true, rebuilding trust requires diversifying expert communities or explicitly separating technical claims from value judgments, changing how governments and institutions communicate on science‑adjacent policy.
Alan Cole
2026.04.27
78% relevant
The article directly addresses public distrust of economists and offers an empirical vignette (Thaler & Massey’s 'Loser’s Curse' paper and its real‑world confirmation in NFL bargaining outcomes) as evidence that expert methods, not mere ideology, can deliver societal value — connecting to the idea that experts' behavior and demonstrable value shape trust.
2026.03.05
100% relevant
Matthew Yglesias' examples: plumbers and HVAC professionals (more conservative) versus left‑skewed academics, and policy flashpoints like heat pumps, Covid, and climate.
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