The Economists of Tomorrow
The Case for Assertive Pluralism in Economics Education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2769744 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alan Freeman (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 69 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1591-1613 |
| Publication date | 2010-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Economics and Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9246 • E-ISSN: 1536-7150 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1536-7150.2010.00758.x |
| OpenAlex | W1918958409 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 19 |
This article presents the case for "assertive pluralism" in economics education and proposes how to achieve it, illustrating the point with reference to the U.K. Subject Benchmark Statement in Economics (SBSE). It proposes a revision of the benchmark, prioritizing the role of controversy in the teaching of economics, combined with pluralistic principles that uphold and guarantee critical and independent thinking. This reform is a necessary response to what Colander et al. (2009) term the "systemic failure" of economics-the inability of the profession, taken as a whole, to anticipate and understand the financial crash and recession of 2008. Failure on this scale testifies to a more deep-seated weakness in economics than commonly recognized. It arises from what Turner (Tett 2009) terms the regulatory capture of the economics profession by narrow financial interests. The public, and the economics profession, require specific protection against the pressures that have produced this systemic failure. This requires a rethink of the relation of economics to society, founded on a rejection of the idea that the function of economics is to provide a single, unequivocal solution to every problem of policy. Instead, the article explains, good economics should be constrained to evaluate the full range of relevant solutions to any given policy issue, leaving the decisionmakers accountable for the decisions they make on which solution to adopt
Applied economics · Economic growth · Economics · Economics education · Heterodox economics · Higher education · Mainstream economics · Market failure · Neoclassical economics · Pluralism (philosophy) · Positive economics · Public economics · Schools of economic thought · Economic theories and models · Economic Theory and Institutions · Economic Theory and Policy
Is economics scientific discipline loyal to its own starting points and fundamental principles
Self-Efficacy of US High School Teachers Teaching the Federal Budget, National Debt and Budget Deficit
What do undergraduates study in heterodox economics programs? An examination of the curricula structure at 36 self‐identified programs
Economics and Its Discontents
Against ‘economic man’
The Economists of Tomorrow
Peerless science
Monopsony in Motion
The Spatial Economy
Irrational Exuberance
Capital and Class
The Financial Crisis and the Systemic Failure of Academic Economics
Submission from the Association for Heterodox Economics to the international benchmarking review on research assessment
Peer Review, the Research Assessment Exercise and the Demise of Non-Mainstream Economics
Second-Hand Dealers in Ideas
How Are the Mighty Fallen
The Economists of Tomorrow
| Citations per year | 0.38 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2010 - 2019 (10) |
| Highly cited | No |