Would we trust a Nobel-prize economist to pick the head of the IMF?

The media has been bandying about the idea that the head of the IMF must be an economist. I don’t necessarily agree, but it would be an interesting thought experiment to see who economists pick to lead the IMF.  And who better to ask then the ones at the top of their profession – those that win a Nobel prize. Below is a list of Nobel prize winning economists from the last 10 years and what they have said about the choice.

Only 3 seem to have made public comments. Interestingly Krugman opts for a candidate who is technically out of the running (passed the IMF manging director’s retirement age), Stiglitz seems to argue that Lagarde would be a good choice, while Spence says the whole process is being rushed and should slow down a bit. That isn’t much of a consensus to go on.

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