The economy is improving more than professional forecasters anticipated, particularly as reflected in data on employment and housing. Non-partisan forecasters who have developed models to predict the outcome of elections disagree on how the economy will shape the results this time. Christopher Wlezien, a political science professor at Temple, said that the direction of the economy is more important than any single number. "This isn't just one little piece of news, it's a perception over time," he said.