I don't think Economics is a real field. I think it's just Political Science. To some extent, economic theory is just a way to manipulate the people ("support the Party, we will redistribute the wealth") and beyond that, it's a simple Propaganda tool ("our new index tells us that, despite appearances, there is no recession and no inflation").
Paul Krugman, to me, is a perfect example of a real Economist. Scum.
It's a real field if you take the Austrian view of it. Ludwig von Mises laid down the fundamentals long ago, but the universities (i.e. Krugman, et.al) have been teaching Keynes, a corrupt version of which is popular with politicians, so no wonder you think it's a political science.
A simple introduction to the Austrian School is this:
https://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understand/dp/0517548232/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1BVIQE5TPYD41&keywords=economics+in+one+lesson+by+henry+hazlitt&qid=1660645317&sprefix=economics+in+one+%2Caps%2C1474&sr=8-1
More to be found at: https://mises.org/