CURRENT RESEARCH PAPERS

The Illusion of Objectivity: Implications for Teaching Economics: Accepted for publication in an edited volume of papers from the conference “Economic Pluralism for the 21st Century."

In this paper, I examine the pedagogical implications of one of the significant challenges to neoclassical economics: the fallacy of objectivity in economics. I apply the feminist analysis of objectivity embedded in economic analysis to the classroom and in particular the race and gender norms implicit in the economics curriculum. The paper concludes with some practical suggestions on incorporating this approach into concrete teaching strategies for a macroeconomics class.

The Myth Of Objectivity: Creating A More Realistic And Inclusive High School Economics Class. Currently being revised for resubmission to Theory and Research in Social Science Education.

Economic textbooks make a clear distinction between positive economics, defined as the study of what is, and normative economics, the study of what should be. Economic students are taught that economic analysis is positive, and by implication, objective analysis. Economics, therefore, determines the effects of various normative policies without being normative itself. The fallacy of this distinction is it ignores both the reality of how economics is taught and the normative bias that might exist in the assumptions used in creating economic models.

In this paper, I examine the implication of the assumption of objectivity in economics and examine its implication for the classroom. In particular, I demonstrate ways in which subjective choices are made (perhaps unconsciously) in economic education. The choice of content used, the approach to economic policy emphasized and the pedagogy used all affect what economic students learn. I argue that instead of ignoring this contradiction, that the differences are discussed and related to the material they are learning. The National Voluntary Content Standards are used to illustrate the normative biases in the mainstream curriculum.

In addition, by explicitly challenging assumptions that may not represent the experiences of the increasingly more diverse students who are entering colleges, and therefore more likely to take economics in high school this approach helps creates a more inclusive classroom. The paper concludes with some practical suggestions on incorporating this approach into teaching strategies using the National Voluntary Content Standards.

Assumptions, Economics and Policy Making: How personal perspective shapes policy choice. In submission at The American Economist.

Understanding and evaluating the assumptions that yield different policy outcomes is crucial in understanding the relationship between theory and current economic policy debates. The emphasis on the positive economics provides little insight into the reasons for different perspectives.

The paper outlines a sequence of activities examining the role personal perspective plays evaluating policy using the Federal budget. The goals are to increase students’ awareness of the source of their views and how it affects their attitudes toward economic policy. This allows students to be more objective when analyzing policy.

Last updated September 5, 2007