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 Rethinking Economics is a network of academic scholars and students in several countries that promotes pluralism in economics. It grew out of the broader International Student Initiative for Pluralist Economics and has groups in the United Kingdom, ...
. 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
In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bri ...
issues, the
history of economic thought, and
economic history
Economic history is the academic learning of economies or economic events of the past. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of economic theory to historical situations and i ...
.
Background
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
Mainstream may refer to:
Film
* ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film
Literature
* ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine
* Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher
* ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso
Mu ...
,
neoclassical, orthodox, or dominant paradigm economics), with alternatives becoming marginalised in education and research. The case for
pluralism in economics
The pluralism in economics movement is a campaign to change the teaching and research in economics towards more openness in its approaches, topics and standpoints it considers. The goal of the movement is to "reinvigorate the discipline ... nd b ...
had previously been made by similar initiatives such as the '1992 Plea' organised by
FEED. The
2007 financial crisis
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...
and its aftermath appear to have provided new impetus, with various new organisations having been founded since then.
In May 2014, ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' reported that in nineteen countries students criticised economics courses for falling wider society.
Manifesto
ISIPE released an international manifesto on 5 May 2014.
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.
As of 29 May 2014, 2400 individuals in 99 countries, mostly from academia, have signed up in support of the plea.
Since the release of the manifesto, the initiative has grown significantly, now comprising 65 student groups from 30 countries.
Political alignment
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 School
The Austrian School is a heterodox school of economic thought that advocates strict adherence to methodological individualism, the concept that social phenomena result exclusively from the motivations and actions of individuals. Austrian schoo ...
s of thought in the economics curriculum, representing almost polar opposites of the political spectrum.
Membership
The founding organisations of ISIPE are:
* 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; 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
Germany
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; 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; Russia
Glasgow UniversityReal 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
References
{{reflist, 30em
External links
Official Website of ISIPE
Economics societies