Economists to follow now?

https://www.facebook.com/detroiter/posts/10113088102100293

 

Might not fit the bill 100% but:

Aron Betru's a developmental finance professor who probably did the best job at breaking down what's happening now for folks who want to pay attention to the "keep lines of credit open between financial institutions" side of the economy.

For backdrop on the typically qualitative and leftist end:

You're probably familiar with Naomi Klein (disaster capitalism--been on lots of youtube events lately)

Julie Nelson--is a current ecofeminist economist and the author of probably one of my favorite academic papers/critiques of all time for navigating beyond objectivism/subjectivity and that ethics belong in economics + call out how Larry Summers' decision to export toxic waste to Africa and other "global south" countries as an externality is unethical etc.

Gar Alperovitz (regenerative economics -- "if not capitalism or state socialism, then what?"

can probably speak to the gap between capitalism and what's going on in mutual aid networks if he shows up but might might not be very visible/vocal right now; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0ZTRa4yP-Q )

Zizek (talks a lot all the time even on youtube, probably has interesting things to say on the far side of the left that fits in a 8 minute video to give you enough an idea of his view on everything)

On the right: Robert Doar (Currently heads American Enterprise Institute so maybe just monitor their outputs/policy guidance if he's not directly speaking) -- free market, state/federal antipoverty programs, etc.

Fred L. Smith (Competitive Enterprise Institute; take similar approach) -- anti-climate change/environmental regulation

It's worth just diving into the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and read into some of their "model legislation" for states and publications.

They've laid the strategic groundwork for most of the core conservative/economically liberal/neoliberal ideology and business-as-usual market behavior we see. In 2015 when advocating on State Energy policy, I ran into language from their 2008 or 2011 model legislation. The voting + school and other utility privatization movement has about 30 years of strategic momentum--some of it core to the founder's ideology since around 1975.

https://www.alec.org/publication/the-impact-of-federal-state-safety-regulations-on-liability/

And if you can find key thinkers/policy shapers via the Koch Foundation go for them too though a lot of their stuff probably draws from the folks/entities listed above.