Arne Heise - Reclaiming the University: transforming economics as a discipline

jpe:10711 - Journal of Philosophical Economics, May 21, 2018, Volume XI Issue 2 - https://doi.org/10.46298/jpe.10711
Reclaiming the University: transforming economics as a discipline

Authors: Arne Heise

    Economics as a discipline is currently in disarray. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, academic experts, students, commentators, practitioners and politicians all questioned the status of academic economics and many called for a 'new economic thinking'. Nearly a decade later, however, there is little evidence of a transformation in research and teaching. The present study first clarifies what is meant by a transformation of economics as a discipline, since this remains an ill-defined term and may be interpreted in very different ways. It then establishes the conditions of a successful transformation of the discipline in terms of intra-disciplinary and extra-disciplinary factors. The paper argues that economics as a discipline cannot be expected to trigger this transformation by itself (i.e. via self-regulation), since the 'market for economic ideas' is prone to market failure. In addition, the influence of external factors and actors on the market may serve to distort the congruence between the individual researcher's utility and societal welfare. External incentives are therefore required to establish constitutional guardrails that ensure fair competition between ideas.


    Volume: Volume XI Issue 2
    Section: Articles
    Published on: May 21, 2018
    Imported on: December 28, 2022
    Keywords: pluralism,transformation,mainstream economics,heterodox economics,regulation,[SHS]Humanities and Social Sciences

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