The world has changed, but the syllabus hasn’t…
In 2014, while studying the MA in Economics for Transition at Schumacher College, I made a documentary on the growing movement to transform economics education. As a disillusioned student of mainstream economics, I thought there must be better ways of teaching and learning this subject that holds many of the keys to a more beautiful future. At Schumacher I had the opportunity to make the film as part of my masters’ thesis project.
Several years later, the movement has grown stronger. Changes are slowly beginning to take place in universities and business schools. Rethinking Economics has grown rapidly and now has a vibrant community in Scandinavia, too. In parallel, the Degrowth movement is questioning the outdated assumptions and tools of mainstream economics, ushering in – hopefully – a new era in academic economic discourse.
This movie was a brief snapshot of a dynamic and expanding movement in 2014, but many of the themes are still relevant and I hope the film continues to be useful for those interested in how we can radically improve economics education.