The new superheroes today are economists. It takes a no-nonsense Mario Monti to step in and try to do something about Italy’s financial collapse. It was American economist Nouriel  Roubini who set the alarm bells ringing when he warned of the collapse of the United States housing market and the& nbsp; recession. Back home, it was PM, then finmin, Manmohan Singh, who ushered in liberalisation that set India on the fast track to progress. A good qualification in this discipline can open doors to plum posts in governments, multilateral international organisations such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank or the International Monetary fund.

Manmohan Singh
The economist-finance minister took India into the liberalised era in 1991. PM Manmohan Singh is credited with having ushered “unprecedented” economic reforms. In his career, he has worked with national as well as international organisations

Mario Monti
This economist stepped in as prime minister of debt-ridden Italy after the controversial leader Silvio Berlusconi resigned in November. A former president of Bocconi University, Monti put together a technocratic government and vowed to restore Italy’s pride

Nouriel Roubini
A professor of economics, Nouriel Roubini is described as the man “who saw” the US home loan crisis and the 2008 recession coming. The International Monetary Fund and many other institutions “have drawn upon his consulting expertise,” says his website