In 1919 W. H. Smyth coined the term technocracy to mean basically "management of society by technical experts". Technocracy grew into a movement during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when politicians and financial institutions were being blamed for the economic disaster, and fans of technocracy claimed that letting technical experts manage the country would be a great improvement. (They also suggested that dollars could be replaced by "energy certificates" representing energy units called ergs.) Today technocrat and technocratic are still popular words for experts with a highly rational and scientific approach to public policy issues. But these experts aren't always the best politicians, and when a terrific technological solution to a problem is opposed by a powerful group or industry, lawmakers find it easier to just ignore it.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe technocrat corporatists who want to use vaccines to sterilize the population. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 30 July 2022 At its heart, this is a contest between a technocrat and an activist.BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2022 Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, a technocrat with origins on the left appointed by Mr. Macron only a month ago, may not survive. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 20 June 2022 Mattarella asked Draghi, who is an unelected technocrat, to address Parliament to get a clearer picture of the political situation. Reuters, NBC News, 14 July 2022 Kulfas, more of a technocrat than a political character, did consolidate his position as a sort of anti-Kirchnerite maverick, particularly among non-Peronists. Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 28 June 2022 From the right, Corry Bliss has long been one of the Republican Party’s favorite fixers, a technocrat who has a record of saving dumpster-fire campaigns from themselves at the eleventh hour. Philip Elliott, Time, 21 May 2022 Wickremesinghe’s appointment may spark more frustration at home, but the political veteran is viewed as a reliable technocrat abroad. Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 12 May 2022 During the transition, Biden officials had zeroed in on Gina Raimondo, the then-governor of Rhode Island, known as a technocrat, who had made a surprisingly strong impression on candidate Biden's running mate vetting team. Edward-isaac Dovere, CNN, 6 Feb. 2022 See More