ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

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What Does CORE’s The Economy Offer Students and Teachers?

Responding to the special issue, “CORE’s Economics Textbook” (EPW, 16 June 2018), a teacher who has used the book in class explains why the book has proved useful in conveying concepts in economics and inculcating an interest in the study of social sciences at large. The Economy is not only a well-thought-out and ideologically eclectic textbook, but an interactive and dynamic teaching and learning tool that incorporates digital resources.

A Better Economics for the Indian Context

Reflecting on their experience of using The Economy to teach undergraduate students in India, two teachers of economics discuss the need for a version of the alternative textbook that addresses the needs of students who seek to understand the Indian economy. The possibilities of such a version of the textbook are discussed.

Poverty and Inequality in a ‘Principles of Economics’ Textbook

The new economics textbook The Economy, by the Curriculum Open-access Resources in Economics Team or the CORE Team is discussed from the point of view of introducing students to the topic of poverty and inequality. It is argued that mainstream textbooks adopt a framework that reduces the explanations largely to luck, choice, or ability. The new book, by paying careful attention to frictions in the economic institutions that underpin the market economy, provides an alternative framework where inequality of opportunity becomes clear and visible.

Teaching Macroeconomics

The Economy presents a new approach to teaching macroeconomics. It starts from real-life institutions of macroeconomic policy management, teaching models that engage directly with these institutions. Money and monetary policy are explained in the context of modern banking systems, while the Phillips curve is derived from the labour market model. By emphasising empirical applicability, and the linkages with microeconomics, it provides students with a more intuitive and realistic understanding than standard approaches.

Macroeconomics in The Economy

The Economy is a worthwhile initiative that seeks to teach students about the economy, as opposed to teaching economics. The macroeconomic aspects of the textbook are critically scrutinised to understand what is being taught, and how different the treatment is from extant approaches.

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