What does a being a politician have to do with math?

Answer 1

Excellent question!

Both a lot and a little. I'll explain.

Politicians have to make and modify laws. To do so, they need to know a lot about their constituents, or the people that voted them into office. Learning about these people require statistical techniques (which some might say is a branch of math, though it isn't). So there are at least NUMBERS involved here.

When politicians want to plan to make a new law, say to build new roads or to improve health care, they need to determine how much this costs. In the United States, this is done by a body called the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The politicians themselves don't do the calculations, but they sure must be able to understand the results in order to make wise decisions!

In the process of making the decision, politicians get bombarded by lots of lobbyists from powerful individuals, companies, and special interest groups. These can come prepared with lots of numbers that may employ difficult math. It is in the politician's interest to try to grasp these concepts (or hire someone that does) to separate truth from fiction.

Also, politicians may legislate math. Really? A law about math? Well, not really about math, but using math. There are many numbers that get reported to the public that are based on formulas. Sometimes politicians set up independent agencies that gather the numbers as they see fit and change with the times. But sometimes, politicians put a formula into law and it may be stuck there for a very long time. For example, the formula for calculating the poverty line has been the same since the 1950s. It is simply three times the "poor" household's food budget. I would argue that this is outdated and that there are better ways to measure poverty. BUT, by using this measure, which actually underestimates the number of poor, less money can be allocated to essential programs for the poor.

So, as you can see, politicians need math to inform themselves, defend themselves from misinformation, and collect necessary national information. However, politicians also have the power to legislate formulas, quotas, or other arbitrary numbers. For this reason, if you get around them, "speak softly and carry a big stick".