Economics education is a field within economics that advocates for the improvement of economics curriculum and economic literacy at all educational levels. For decades, economics is seen as a highly academic, Newtonian science – that is, treating social concepts as ‘atomic principles’ rather than dynamic social mechanisms. In recent years, however, these approaches in teaching economics have been altered by some prominent movements that challenge the old-age stance. The London Post features the four organizations and movements that have made considerable contributions to the reform of economics education on a global scale:
- Rethinking Economics
Established in 2012 as part of the International Student Initiative for Pluralist Economics (ISIPE), Rethinking Economics is a network of students and academic scholars in several countries that promotes pluralism in economics. The goal of the movement is to open up the discipline to different schools of thought in economics other than neoclassical economics and other disciplines in the social sciences. Another aim is to make economics more accessible to the broader public. The movement has gained broad support, especially by the Bank of England and the Financial Times. Rethinking Economics will host the “Nordic Gathering 2019” next month for its chapters and groups in the nordic network.
- Global Association of Economics Education (GAEE)
Initially established in 2017 as the Indochinese Economics Education Initiative (IEEI), this nonprofit has quickly gained global support and extended its operations to over eight countries. Global Association of Economics Education (GAEE) is a network of 1500+ junior economists, financiers and entrepreneurs through GAEE-affiliated forums, academic clubs, and hackathons across the globe. The goal of this 501(c)(3) nonprofit is to empower the youth generations with the fundamentals of economics, finance, and entrepreneurship. Headquartered in Boston, GAEE provides free, world-class, and interactive learning materials that align to daily-life and real-world problems via its academic clubs and the GAEE’s Home App. According to Reuters, GAEE is expected to expand its network to 18 countries and reach 5000+ members by 2021 through its ambitious “GAEE’s Silk Road Plan.” As part of the plan, GAEE will host the “GAEE’s Southeast Asia Summit Week 2019” in association with AIESEC and Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) with the theme “Education in the Industry 4.0 Era” for its chapters in Indochina next month.
- Council for Economic Education (CEE)
Renamed in 2009 as the Council for Economic Education (CEE), the organization focuses on the economic and financial education of students from kindergarten through high school in the United States. The mission of the Council for Economic Education is to instill in young people the fourth “R”—a real-world understanding of economics and personal finance. Headquartered in New York City, CEE provides classroom resources to K-12 teachers and students, free professional development to educators, webinars, standards, and assessment tools.
- The Economics Network
Established by the Higher Education Academy (HEA), The Economics Network was known as the Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN) for Economics. It focuses on the improvement of learning and teaching economics in the UK’s higher education. Supported by the Royal Economic Society, The Economics Network held a notable conference on “Revisiting the State of Economics Education” in response to economics teaching and the financial crisis in 2015.
