This paper outlines a curriculum reform of economics at the undergraduate level in Western universities centred around eight main themes and which follows a pluralistic, interdisciplinary approach. The aim is to liberate teaching from the stultifying grips of neoclassical economics and its...

Economics teaching relies overwhelmingly on faculty lecturing, which is generally seen as a significant pedagogical problem. But this paper argues that didactic instruction is actually well-suited to the neoclassical economics that is usually taught. This approach – especially its textbook...

This paper aims to quantify the effectiveness of teaching economics with video exemplars, mainly the US TV show The Simpsons. We regress students' exam scores on their performance on Simpsons and non-Simpsons pop quizzes. After controlling for students' quality difference and exam content, our...

In 1985 the Department of Economics at Dickinson College USA, a private four year liberal arts college, embarked upon a bold but promising reform of its economics programme placing it on the cutting edge of what is now called 'pluralist economics education'. This new approach to the philosophy...

This paper highlights a number of flaws within macro and financial economics that originated the 2007-2011 global economic and financial crisis. These flaws are deeply rooted in neoclassical economics, so much so as the lack of pluralism within the economics profession makes it impossible for...

The invisible hand metaphor dates to the 18th century but only gained prominence after neoclassical analysis came to dominate economic thinking late 19th century. Neoclassical economists rigorously established the assumptions necessary for an economy to operate in accordance with the metaphor,...

In this paper I argue that methodological reflection guided by a critique of the ontological foundations of economic theories can be used to enhance arguments for a pluralist economics education. I accomplish this by reviewing the literature regarding the requirements for a pluralist economics...

University departments of economics have to move from monism to pluralism in the sense of encouraging competing theoretical perspectives. The tension between monism and pluralism is not limited to economics paradigms but also concerns theory of science and ideological orientation. It is argued...

Until about 1870 economics was referred to as 'political economics' and it is here argued that it was a mistake to abandon this terminology. Mainstream neoclassical economics is specific in scientific and conceptual terms but also in ideological terms. Similarly, other theoretical perspectives...