I think whether economics is closely tied to politics depends on what you're asking after. There are two sets of economists: social scientists and engineers. Th

I think whether economics is closely tied to politics depends on what you're asking after. There are two sets of economists: social scientists and engineers. The latter seem to work primarily for government and their work is necessarily closely tied to politics. But there are plenty of economists who like to propose solutions to current issues who don't work for the government. The former are less tied to politics, but much more closely to it than, say, physics.