Pluralising the economic knowledge of politics. Evidence from a German case study

Economic expertise and knowledge in German politics have long been shaped by technocratic, market–liberal advisory bodies and neoliberal think tanks closely connected to mainstream economics. Over the past decade, however, an alternative knowledge ecosystem – the New Economy Space (NES) – has emerged, promoting pluralist, and impact-orientated approaches to economic policy. Drawing on interviews and organisational documents, this paper maps both the different organisations of economic knowledge of politics and the internal diversity of the NES. We identify three distinct modes of economic knowledge and political intervention: a technocratic mode within institutionalised policy advisory, a political mode within neoliberal think tanks, and a boundary-spanning mode within the NES. While institutionalised actors continue to hold greater resources and formal authority, the NES introduces new topics, actor constellations, and practices into economic policy debates.