Theoretical and Applied Economics
No. 4 / 2024 (641), Winter
Leaders in disguise: power, perception, and paradox – economics and the fragile authority of politicians
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania
Raluca Iuliana GEORGESCU
B & Associates, Romania
Abstract. In the context of political leadership, this paper investigates the psychological phenomena of the Dunning-Kruger Effect (DKE) and Impostor Syndrome. It examines the impact of these two cognitive fallacies on the performance, decision-making, and behaviour of politicians. DKE causes less competent politicians to exaggerate their abilities, frequently resulting in poor decision-making and policy errors, while Impostor Syndrome causes highly competent politicians to doubt their abilities, attributing their success to external factors. The paper also explores the implications of these phenomena for political communication, leadership, and governance, particularly in environments that are characterized by high public scrutiny and media pressure. It also investigates the ways in which these cognitive prejudices can be amplified by political marketing and digital platforms, thereby affecting electoral outcomes and voter behaviour. Ultimately, the research underscores the necessity of political leaders exhibiting a higher degree of humility and selfawareness to promote more effective decision-making and governance.
Keywords: impostor syndrome, Dunning-Kruger Effect, political leadership, governance, cognitive biases, political marketing.
Contents
- Digitalization and innovation:
a regional perspective on their interaction
Monica-Mihaela MAER MATEI
Andreea-Monica MUNTEANU
- Assessing the macroeconomic challenges in Romania
after the economic and financial crisis
Maria-Daniela TUDORACHE
- Green finance and innovation input: the promoters of carbon neutrality in China
Song GAO
Yating ZHU
Adelina DUMITRESCU PECULEA
- A simple model of online marketing,
production, profit and growth
Biswajit MANDAL
Labani Roy CHAKRABORTY
Alapan SANYAL
- The relationship of digital payments,
macroeconomic variables, and banking stability
in developing Asia
Meidiana AZZAHRAH
Ariodillah HIDAYAT
Liliana LILIANA
- Modelling the relationship between inflation
and uncertainty with existence of structural break:
evidence from Azerbaijan
Vugar RAHIMOV
- Analysis of the global energy resources evolution
in the context of the population growth
Mădălina-Gabriela ANGHEL
Ștefan Virgil IACOB
- Assessing the impact of energy and macroeconomic
shocks on the Romanian economy:
a Bayesian VAR approach
Alexandru George NEACȘU
Andrei Costin NEACȘU
Georgiana PLEȘA
Georgian Dănuț MIHAI
- Two faces of the same coin: integrated perspectives
of public and private debt on the effects
of interdependence on financial stability
Rareș-Mihai NIȚU
- Institutional quality and sustainability:
empirical study in 11 MENA countries
Salaheddine SARI-HASSOUN
Abderrahim CHIBI
Sidi Mohamed CHEKOURI
- Workplace economics – How does the Impostor Syndrome
affect organisational output?
Raluca Iuliana GEORGESCU
Dumitru Alexandru BODISLAV
Ionuț-Valeriu ANDREI
Alexandru COȘOCARIU
- COVID-19 and the labour market:
regional shifts of human capital working
in technology and employment
Teodora-Cătălina DUMITRA
Anamaria Beatrice ALDEA
- Validity of the environmental Kuznets Curve in Bangladesh
under the role of financial development
Omor FARUQ
Sanaullah TALUKDER
Evanta Hashem KATHA
Mashrura Kabir SHAEBA
- The impact of doing business indicators
on economic growth in emerging market economies:
a cross-sectional analysis
Komal CHHIKARA
- The dispersion of poverty
in some Romanian rural areas – good examples
of rural localities with the lowest poverty rates
Cristina STROE
- The stability and Growth Pact in Practice:
inefficiencies of previous debt rules and the way forward
Ionuț JIANU
Maria-Daniela TUDORACHE
- Leaders in disguise: power, perception, and paradox –
economics and the fragile authority of politicians
Dumitru Alexandru BODISLAV
Raluca Iuliana GEORGESCU
- Investigating the corporate debt and real investment nexus:
dynamics and challenges in a shifting financial landscape
Bashir Ahmad JOO
Simtiha Ishaq MIR
- The hidden economy revealed: profiling informal workers
through random forest classification
Maria Cristina GEAMBASU
Adriana AnaMaria DAVIDESCU
Eduard Mihai MANTA
Diana Marina AGAFITEI
- The determinants of political instability:
the role of mining resources
Ahandi Vincent LOMPO
Achille Augustin DIENDERE
- Quantitative easing and its implications
for contingent convertible triggers:
an analytical perspective
Miruna-Mihaela VASILCA
Răzvan COTESCU
Alexandra CHEPTIȘ
Alin Ioan VID