View all news

Educating economists after the 2008 recession

Press release issued: 10 March 2015

Ensuring the future generation of economists are equipped with the ‘real-world’ skills they need in light of the recent financial crisis is one of the issues being addressed at a Bank of England event on Tuesday 17 March. The one-day conference, organised by the Economics Network at the University of Bristol, will explore a range of issues concerning economics education with a particular focus on the practical challenges of implementing change to the economics curriculum.

In the aftermath of the 2008 recession the teaching of economics came under scrutiny, in particular around whether courses delivered the practical skills and knowledge required by economics graduates in their future careers. The desirability and direction of reform of the economics curriculum was discussed at a previous conference organised by Diane Coyle in 2012 which led to the publication of What's the use of economics: teaching the dismal science after the crisis.

Speakers at the event include: Professor Sir Charles Bean, Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and Former Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy at the Bank of England; Professor Wendy Carlin, Professor of Economics at University College London and a member of the Expert Advisory Panel of the UK's Office for Budget Responsibility; Professor Diane Coyle, OBE, Professor of Economics at the University of Manchester and a former treasury adviser; Andy Haldane  (Chief Economist and Executive Director for Monetary Analysis and Statistics at the Bank of England); Sujit Kapadia (Head of Research, Bank of England) and Professor Andy Ross, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds and Former Deputy Director of the Government Economic Service.

Alvin Birdi at the University of Bristol’s School of Economics, Finance and Management, who is leading the event, said: “It will be an important event and is likely to have a strong influence on the direction of taught economics in UK HE.”

Edit this page