The post-autistic economics movement (french: autisme-économie),
or movement of students for the reform of economics teaching (french: mouvement des étudiants pour une réforme de l'enseignement de l'économie),
is a
political movement
A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...
that criticises
neoclassical economics
Neoclassical economics is an approach to economics in which the production, consumption and valuation (pricing) of goods and services are observed as driven by the supply and demand model. According to this line of thought, the value of a good ...
and advocates 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 ...
. The movement gained attention after an open letter signed by almost a thousand economics students at French universities and
Grandes Écoles Grandes may refer to:
* Agustín Muñoz Grandes, Spanish general and politician
*Banksia ser. Grandes, a series of plant species native to Australia
* Grandes y San Martín, a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain ...
was published in ''
Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'' in 2000.
Terminology
The
French term ''autisme'' has an older meaning and signifies "abnormal subjectivity, acceptance of fantasy rather than reality". However, post-autistic economists also "assert that neoclassical economics has the characteristics of an autistic child".
The pejorative reference to the
neurodevelopmental disorder
Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of disorders that affect the development of the nervous system, leading to abnormal brain function which may affect emotion, learning ability, self-control, and memory. The effects of neurodevelopmental ...
autism
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
is considered offensive by some economists.
Greg Mankiw
Nicholas Gregory Mankiw (; born February 3, 1958) is an American macroeconomist who is currently the Robert M. Beren Professor of Economics at Harvard University. Mankiw is best known in academia for his work on New Keynesian economics.
Mankiw ...
has said that "use of the term indicates a lack of empathy and understanding for those who live with actual, severe autism".
Response
The French minister of education appointed a panel headed by
Jean-Paul Fitoussi
Jean-Paul Fitoussi (19 August 1942 – 15 April 2022) was a French economist and sociologist of Sephardi Jewish descent.
Biography
Born in La Goulette, French Protectorate of Tunisia, Fitoussi earned his Ph.D. ''cum laude'' in Law and Econ ...
to inquire into economics teaching.
In 2000, the panel called for limited reform.
Articles associated with the movement were published in the ''Post-Autistic Economics Newsletter'' from September 2000. This electronic newsletter became the ''
Post-Autistic Economics Review
''Real-World Economics Review'' is a peer-reviewed open access academic journal of heterodox economics published by the "Post-Autistic Economics Network" since 2000. Since 2011 it is associated with the World Economics Association. It was known fo ...
'' and, since 2008, has existed as the peer-reviewed journal ''
Real-World Economics Review
''Real-World Economics Review'' is a peer-reviewed open access academic journal of heterodox economics published by the "Post-Autistic Economics Network" since 2000. Since 2011 it is associated with the World Economics Association. It was known fo ...
''.
Several responses to the French students' open letter were also published in ''
Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
''. A counter-petition signed by 15 French economists was published in October 2000.
Robert Solow
Robert Merton Solow, GCIH (; born August 23, 1924) is an American economist whose work on the theory of economic growth culminated in the exogenous growth model named after him. He is currently Emeritus Institute Professor of Economics at the Ma ...
adhered to the "main thesis" of the French students' petition, but criticised the "opaque and almost incomprehensible" debate that followed among academics.
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Jean Blanchard (; born December 27, 1948) is a French economist and professor who is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He was the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund from September 1, 2 ...
also published a response defending mainstream economics.
Other notable economists, such as
Steve Keen
Steve Keen (born 28 March 1953) is an Australian economist and author. He considers himself a post-Keynesian, criticising neoclassical economics as inconsistent, unscientific and empirically unsupported. The major influences on Keen's thinking ...
and
James K. Galbraith
James Kenneth Galbraith (born January 29, 1952) is an American economist. He is currently a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and at the Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Senior Schol ...
, wrote elsewhere in support of the French students.
See also
*
Real-world economics
* ''
Real-World Economics Review
''Real-World Economics Review'' is a peer-reviewed open access academic journal of heterodox economics published by the "Post-Autistic Economics Network" since 2000. Since 2011 it is associated with the World Economics Association. It was known fo ...
''
*
Post-Keynesian economics
Post-Keynesian economics is a school of economic thought with its origins in ''The General Theory'' of John Maynard Keynes, with subsequent development influenced to a large degree by Michał Kalecki, Joan Robinson, Nicholas Kaldor, Sidney Wei ...
*
Humanistic economics
Humanistic economics is a distinct pattern of economic thought with old historical roots that have been more recently invigorated by E. F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered (1973). Proponents argue for "persons-fir ...
*
History of economics
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
*
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 ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
History of and documents from the PAE MovementReal-World Economics Review Blog*
Schools of economic thought
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