By Mohsen Javdani (Simon Fraser University) and Ha-Joon Chang (SOAS University of London).
What do economics students learn – beyond models and methods?
This new study examines how economics education shapes students’ beliefs, biases, and openness to competing ideas. Drawing on a large randomised controlled experiment with economics students across 10 countries, the authors investigate how exposure to different framings and forms of “authority” in economics can influence students’ confidence, conformity, and willingness to engage critically with alternative perspectives.
The findings point to a deeper challenge facing economics education today: when mainstream authority is privileged and the discipline is taught as singular, neutral, and closed to contestation, students can be steered toward ideological narrowness – and away from critical inquiry, debate, and pluralism.
This report builds on Rethinking Economics’ ongoing interventions in economics education and curriculum reform, offering evidence that the problem isn’t only what is taught but how authority and legitimacy are constructed in the classroom.
The report covers:
- How economics education can shape students’ political and economic beliefs
- The role of “mainstream authority” in reinforcing disciplinary conformity
- Implications for pluralism, pedagogy, and curriculum reform efforts
- Recommendations for educators, students, and campaigners