Are economists satisfied with the status quo of economic research?
Andre and Falk surveyed 10,000 economic researchers from all fields and ranks of the profession and from around the world. The questions centered around what research objectives are and should be, as well as what their preferred distribution of topics is. Their findings indicate:
- Most researchers are dissatisfied with the status quo, in terms of both research topics and objectives;
- On average, respondents think that economic research should become more policy-relevant, multidisciplinary, risky and disruptive, and pursue more diverse topics;
- Dissatisfaction with the status quo is more prevalent among female scholars and associated with lower job satisfaction and higher stress levels.
What’s Worth Knowing? Economists’ Opinions about Economics
Authors: Peter Andre, Armin Falk
From: University of Bonn
The importance of workshops and conferences in developing economic theory
The COVID outbreak has forced economic researchers to run their conferences, workshops and seminars online. Everyone has pointed out how disadvantageous the lack of person to person interaction is for the development of new ideas and theories. Everyone is also appreciating how this virtual setting allows access to many more scholars who would otherwise not participated due the time or financial constraints. Going forward, will this virtual format completely abandoned? In this very interesting paper, Cherrier and Saïdi examine how different formats (albeit all in person) of conferences, seminars and workshops have contributed to the history of economics, the development of new theories, the spread of models and tools, the dominance and marginalization of some intellectual agendas and communities. They look at the workshops and conferences throughout the twentieth century:
They can be viewed as construction sites where theories, concepts, but also tools and practices and even political programs are built through bringing in various intellectual and institutional resources. They can also be understood as weapons of dissemination, whereby such theories, tools practices, etc., are sent out, first, to students, then, to colleagues, opponents and institutions. Those processes involve the formation of networks and communities of like-minded scholars, even friends, but also the exclusion of others, and the development of age, institutional, class and gender hierarchies. These are channeled via how workshop and conferences’ rules are set up or what food and drinks are offered for instance.
The Role of Seminars, Conferences and Workshops in the History of Economics
Authors: Beatrice Cherrier, Aurélien Saïdi
From: ENSAE & Ecole Polytechnique, Université Paris Nanterre
