Students in 20 Countries Seek Change in Teaching of Economics

Economics students in 20 countries have teamed up to call for an overhaul in how their discipline is taught, The Guardian reported.

The group is calling itself the International Student Initiative for Pluralism in Economics. In an open letter on its website, the group objects to what it calls a “dramatic narrowing of the curriculum” over the last several decades. The resulting “lack of intellectual diversity,” the group argues, limits students’ ability to solve 21st-century challenges such as financial stability and climate change.

The group has called on economics departments to embrace a “pluralism of theories and methods,” to hire instructors who offer diverse viewpoints, and to use texts that support interdisciplinary approaches.