Economist/professor Gregory Mankiw takes note of how New York Times columnist Paul Krugman defines his terms.

In a post about the Obama economic team titled The Grownups are Coming, Paul Krugman writes:

Seriously, isn’t it amazing just how impressive the people being named to key positions in the Obama administration seem? Bye-bye hacks and cronies, hello people who actually know what they’re doing.

Mankiw notes that a standard ranking of more than 18,000 economists' academic accomplishments puts Obama's picks at #11, #391, and #653. Bush's "hacks and cronies," by comparison were ranked at #21, #35, #99, #132, #249.

Mankiw closes:

Judging by this objective criterion, it looks like the two adminstrations are drawing economists from roughly the same talent pool.

Of course, if one defines "grownup" as a person who agrees with Paul Krugman, and "hack" as a person who does not, then one might come to a different conclusion.

At least the election hasn't changed Krugman.