Perhaps, because he knows he is not very talented himself, Mr Bush appears willing to bring in good advisers, and listen to them.

ECONOMIST: But we endorsed Bush

Mr McCain has never been particularly interested in economics, but, unlike Mr Obama, he has made little effort to catch up or to bring in good advisers (Doug Holtz-Eakin being the impressive exception).

ECONOMIST: The presidential election

Some firms bring in specialist advisers to plan, test and manage their technology set-ups in the cloud.

ECONOMIST: Corporate computing: Online reputations in the dirt | The

But government advisers warn today that shale gas may be unlikely to bring down energy prices much in Britain.

BBC: Gas fracking: Ministers approve shale gas extraction

New leaders in America and elsewhere will bring with them new advisers and gurus new intellectuals with proximity to power.

ECONOMIST: And what it says about the role of public intellectuals