RE: Lies, damned lies, and economics

[Robert Scott Gassler <rsgassle@xxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry; I originally sent this on the wrong thread.

Okay. I have an article which outlines my approach to teaching in all my
courses (though I am sorry to say it is mostly micro):

Robert Scott Gassler, "The Theory of Political and Social Economics: Beyond
the Neoclassical Perspective," Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics, Vol.
9, No.2, 1998, pp.93-124.

The trick is to make a list of the assumptions of what I call the
"neoclassical default model" (perfect competition) and then treat them as
jumping-off places by relaxing the assumptions. By the time you are done,
you have systematically analysed a problem and destroyed students' interest
in the default model.

I think this will do a reasonably good job until we agree on a better
paradigm.

Robert Scott Gassler
Vesalius College
Vrije Universiteit Brussel


At 22:00 22/05/02 -0700, you wrote:
>I appreciate the reports that we get from people with expertise outside of
>the US.  I wish that some of you lurkers would step in.
>--
>Michael Perelman
>Economics Department
>California State University
>Chico, CA 95929
>
>Tel. 530-898-5321
>E-Mail michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>