International Student Initiative for Pluralist Economics
Summary
The International Student Initiative for Pluralist Economics (ISIPE) is an alliance of university student groups and societies from several countries campaigning for a reform of economics education and research. Founded in early 2014, the Initiative brings together various groups that had previously operated at a local or national level such as Rethinking Economics. It argues for a reorientation of the discipline toward pluralism in university curricula as well as research activity, involving the inclusion and equal treatment of heterodox approaches, greater interdisciplinarity, as well as increased awareness of methodological issues, the history of economic thought, and economic history.
Backgroundedit
In the second half of the 20th century, the discipline of economics came to be increasingly dominated by what is seen by the Initiative as a fundamentally uniform, monolithic approach (which may be referred to as mainstream, neoclassical, orthodox, or dominant paradigm economics), with alternatives becoming marginalised in education and research. The case for pluralism in economics had previously been made by similar initiatives such as the '1992 Plea' organised by FEED.[1] The 2007 financial crisis and its aftermath appear to have provided new impetus, with various new organisations having been founded since then.[2]
In May 2014, The Guardian reported that in nineteen countries students criticised economics courses for falling wider society.[3]
Manifestoedit
ISIPE released an international manifesto on 5 May 2014.[4] The manifesto took the form of an open letter, signed by 42 student groups across 19 countries.
The release of the international manifesto was met with a large media echo in various countries.[5] As of 29 May 2014, 2400 individuals in 99 countries, mostly from academia, have signed up in support of the plea.[6]
Since the release of the manifesto, the initiative has grown significantly, now comprising 65 student groups from 30 countries.[7]
Political alignmentedit
ISIPE aims to be politically neutral. Its objective is not to promote a particular point of view or methodology, but to promote the idea that having multiple points of view and multiple methodologies is a good thing. While some associated with the movement are primarily interested in certain branches of economics, the movement itself aims promote non-orthodox economic thought in general. Various groups have called for the inclusion of both Marxian and Austrian Schools of thought in the economics curriculum, representing almost polar opposites of the political spectrum.
Membershipedit
The founding organisations of ISIPE are:[citation needed]
Sociedad de Economía Crítica Argentina y Uruguay; Argentina
Gesellschaft für Plurale Ökonomik Wien; Austria
Nova Ágora; Brazil
Mouvement étudiant québécois pour un enseignement pluraliste de l'économie; Canada
Estudios Nueva Economía; Chile
Det Samfundsøkonomiske Selskab (DSS)); Denmark
Post-Crash Economics Society Essex; England
Cambridge Society for Economic Pluralism; England
Better Economics UCL Archived 2014-05-04 at the Wayback Machine; England
Post-Crash Economics Society Manchester; England
SOAS Open Economics Forum; England
Alternative Thinking for Economics Society, Sheffield University; England
LSE Post-Crash Economics; England
Pour un Enseignement Pluraliste de l'Economie dans le Supérieur (PEPS-Economie); France
Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik (Network for Pluralist Economics); Germany
Oikos Köln; Germany
Real World Economics, Mainz; Germany
Kritische WissenschaftlerInnen Berlin; Germany
Arbeitskreis Plurale Ökonomik, Bayreuth; Germany
Arbeitskreis Plurale Ökonomik, München; Germany
Oikos Leipzig; Germany
Was ist Ökonomie, Berlin; Germany
Impuls. für eine neue Wirtschaft, Erfurt; Germany
Ecoation, Augsburg; Germany
Kritische Ökonomen, Frankfurt; Germany
Arbeitskreis Plurale Ökonomik, Hamburg; Germany
Real World Economics, Heidelberg; Germany
Stundent HUB Weltethos Institut Tübingen Archived 2014-06-28 at the Wayback Machine; Germany
LIE - Lost in Economics e.V., Regensburg; Germany
Jodhpur University Heterdox Economics Association; India
Economics Student Forum – Haifa; Israel
Economics Student Forum - Tel Aviv; Israel
Rethinking Economics Italia; Italy
Oeconomicus Economic Club MGIMO Archived 2014-05-04 at the Wayback Machine; Russia
Glasgow University Real World Economics Society; Scotland
Movement for Pluralistic Economics; Slovenia
Post-Crash Barcelona; Spain
Lunds Kritiska Ekonomer; Sweden
Handels Students for Sustainability; Sweden
PEPS-Helvetia; Switzerland
Rethinking Economics UK; UK
Rethinking Economics NL; Netherlands
Rethinking Economics New York; United States
Sociedad de Economía Crítica Argentina y Uruguay; Uruguay
Referencesedit
^"A Plea for a Pluralistic and Rigorous Economics", American Economic Review, 82(2): xxv.
^"Portcullis House Press Release". Rethinking Economics. March 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
^"Economics students call for shakeup of the way their subject is taught". TheGuardian.com. 4 May 2014.
^"Economics students call for shakeup of the way their subject is taught". Phillip Inman; The Guardian. 4 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.