This is my two cents worth... I hope it addresses one issue in the
original memo, namely, "Third there has to be greater alignment between
research activity and Socio-economic objectives."  


Dear Dr. Brett:
 
I am joining my colleagues in the History of Economics Society in
requesting you that the proposal to move history of economic thought
(HET) as an academic field out of the economics departments should be
rescinded. Sandra Peart, the president of HES, and the executive board
and many others have ably made the case that such a change would be
harmful to the teaching of economics and to the research activities of
scholars interested in the field. 
 
I would like to focus on another area of research which is thriving in
many economics departments in the U. S. I am referring to feminist
economics which has emerged as an important specialization. Its
investigations and findings are used by international bodies like United
Nations to formulate policies which make a real difference in the lives
of women around the world. That difference is crucial for the very
survival of women in poor and developing countries. An example is the
"Program on Knowledge Networking and Capacity Building on Gender,
Macroeconomics and International Economics" at the University of Utah
which is hosted by the economics department.
 
One of the strengths of feminist economics is to understand the
weaknesses of economics as currently practiced by revealing the biases
built in the making of economic theory from its inception. The
androcentric hidden assumptions of the discipline can make for misguided
analyses and policy prescriptions that maybe harmful to women, even if
impeccable scientific tools are applied in the process. The very
development of gender as a category of economic analysis is based on
critically examining the history of economic thought. That does not
detract from the power of economics as a science; it only enriches it. I
would like to suggest that it is the purpose of universities and public
institutions to encourage multi-faceted research into the economic
aspects of our lives. HET and feminist economics are integral parts of
some of our research programs. And so it is true for many others which
my colleagues have mentioned as closely dependent on the history of
economics. Removing HET from the economics departments will adversely
affect their viability. Thank you.
 
Sumitra Shah
St. John's University
Jamaica, NY 11439
U. S. A.