As a quant who went back and took the PhD economics classes, I can tell you that macroeconomists are not experts. The number that predicted the Great Financial Crisis is a handful. They study these things, but they know little.

The microeconomists know a bunch and have some powerful mathematical tools. I have some confidence in those studying trade and cities. But comparing and measuring countries is messy and hard.

And I totally agree we should lure other countries’ brains here. The return on investment for a STEM degree is about 3 times the stock market index and we should get as much as we can.