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In her interesting post, Susan Feiner hypothesized that the common elements in intro level
economics texts is in part due to the fact that econ is required in business schools, and
that b-schools have a specific agenda in terms of training workers to see things in
partuicular ways. She worries that students will get only one point of view.
 
I disagree about a couple of things. I teach in a b-school and, more so than in most areas
of study, students are required to do a lot of group project work. Some of this is aimed
at trying to get people to work well together
in groups, particularly with people who are different from each other, since that is the
reality of the American workplace. The idea (perhaps "ideal" is a better word) is to bring
different ideas and perceptions together, and to get people used to the idea that others
will have different opinions, so that points need to be argued out. So yes, b-schools
train people to be better workers. But the image of better workers being malleable
interchangeable drones who have learned the company line is not my experience.
 
As to econ education specifically - I find the economic way of thinking to be both unique
and alien to most of my student's way of thinking. So I do push that way of thinking in
class. I've made the commitment Susan speaks of. But I am also committed to the benefits
of pluralism. So where does it come in, in the college curriculum? Well, I often encourage
my students to try to take courses in poly sci and sociology at the same time they are
taking econ, and to bring questions in to all of their profs that reflect what they are
learning in other courses.  If they do that, or more broadly, if they simply reflect on
what they are learning from committed profs in many different classes, students will get
the richer perspective Susan and I both value.
 
Bruce Caldwell 
 
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