Samuelson’s economics: The continuing legacy

Gottesman, Aron; Ramrattan, Lall; Szenberg, Michael

doi:10.1007/s12113-005-1024-3

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Of course, important economic knowledge can also be derived from leading textbooks, such as Samuelson's Economics in 1948, which is currently available in its 19th edition (Samuelson and Nordhaus 2010). It can still be considered the gold standard in teaching economics and has significantly influenced other textbooks in this field (Skousen 1997;Gottesman, Ramrattan, and Szenberg 2005;Green 2012). These textbooks affect pedagogical and epistemological processes, as they introduce students to the dominant orthodox narrative in economics, with the result that students 'retell the received "stories" of economics' (Richardson 2004, 518).…”

Section: Earlier Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

What do economic scholars consider powerful economic knowledge of importance for people in their private and public lives? Implications for teaching and learning economics in social studies

Modig

2020

Studies in Higher Education

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Based on Young's notion of powerful knowledge, acquiring disciplinary knowledge emerging from an economic epistemic community is expected to make an important difference for people when dealing with economic issues in their daily lives. In this regard, this article's author asked Swedish scholars of economics at higher education institutions what they considered to be the most important economic concepts that people would need to acquire and understand. The article provides knowledge about the case of Sweden as a contribution to existing research. Although the article does not suggest a list of key concepts, the results clearly bear close similarities to the economic concepts proposed within the framework of threshold concepts. These concepts is one important resource to be considered when deciding on what economic content students should have access to in school enabling them to face economic issues in their private and public lives.

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Section: Earlier Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

What do economic scholars consider powerful economic knowledge of importance for people in their private and public lives? Implications for teaching and learning economics in social studies

Modig

2020

Studies in Higher Education

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“…Based on published data on Econ101 textbook adoption in the USA over the period (Sleeper, 2007, the leading US textbook, by McConnell and Brue (2008), was added as a point of comparison (the then runner-up and now leading textbook by sales, authored by Mankiw et al (2007aMankiw et al ( , 2007b, is represented in this review by its Canadian edition). Because Samuelson's textbook has had such a defining influence on textbooks and economics education (Gottesman et al, 2005;Skousen, 1997) and because it has been deemed the profession's 'textbook of record', the latest edition, now co-authored by Nordhaus (Samuelson and Nordhaus, 2005), was added to this initial list, even though it no longer figures prominently in North American textbook sales. Finally, because Stiglitz (2006), a recipient of the memorial Nobel prize in economics, has written expressing great concern about the environment, his pair of co-authored textbooks Walsh, 2006a, 2006b), was included in the sample since it seemed plausible that he might pay special attention to sustainability.…”

Section: How Textbooks Were Selectedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Econ101 courses are highly standardised across North American universities and rely heavily on textbooks (Colander, 2000(Colander, , 2003Boulding, 1988). A small number of standard textbooks dominate this market, and all are descendents of Samuelson's classic text published in 1948 (Sleeper, 2007;Stiglitz, 1988;Gottesman et al, 2005). Thus, the mould for current Econ101 textbooks was cast when the global economy was smaller and few ecological constraints, such as concerns over global warming or the depletion of ocean fish stocks, were apparent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introductory economics textbooks: what do they teach about sustainability?

Green¹

2012

IJPEE

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In response to accelerating ecological deterioration, many universities have made commitments to integrate sustainability across the curriculum and to ensure they graduate ecologically responsible citizens. This study involves a content analysis of the coverage of environment-economy linkages in introductory economics textbooks. In North America, introductory economics courses tend to cover similar content and to rely heavily on textbooks. A small number of standard textbooks dominate this market. Standard introductory economics textbooks in current use in British Columbia, Canada were included in the study as well as three leading US textbooks. These were contrasted against a pair of micro/macro introductory texts explicitly written to address sustainability. The standard textbooks are found to largely ignore or mischaracterise environment-economy linkages and to include little content that would help further student understanding of sustainability. Universities that have made a commitment to integrate sustainability across the curriculum should examine carefully the textbooks used in their introductory economic courses and give preference to textbooks that have integrated sustainability-relevant content throughout the text and have addressed both environment-economy linkages and the challenge of sustainability with sophistication.

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“…See, for instance, Skousen (1997), Nelson (2001), and Levy and Peart (2011). Other accounts, such as Samuelson (1997) and Gottesman, Ramrattan, and Szenberg (2005), offer apologetic perspectives on the textbook. Other uses of Economics, along with other textbooks, to trace the development of economics concepts can be found in Pearce and Hoover (1995), Medema (2014), andForder (2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing the Audience: Paul Samuelson, Radical Economics, and Textbook Making, 1967–1973

Giraud¹

2020

J Hist Econ Thought

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Historians of economics rarely consider textbooks as more than passive receptacles of previously validated knowledge. Therefore, their active role in shaping the discipline and its image is seldom addressed. In this paper, I study the making of Paul Samuelson’s successive editions of Economics from 1967 to 1973 as an instance of how textbooks stand at the crossroads between disciplinary knowledge, pedagogy, and larger political and societal concerns. In the mid-1960s, Economics, now at its sixth edition, was at the height of its success. Considered one cornerstone of modern economics, it was also at the center of a number of criticisms dealing with the current state of the economic discipline and its teaching in the universities. While the profession expressed its concern over the lack of relevance of economics to address the pressing issues of the day and pleaded for a new “problem-solving” approach to economic education, the late 1960s witnessed the emergence of a new generation of “radical” economists criticizing the economics orthodoxy. Their contention that mainstream theory had neglected the issues of class struggle and capitalist exploitation found a favorable echo among an increasingly politicized population. Using archival materials, I show how Samuelson, helped by his editorial team at McGraw-Hill, attempted to take into account these changes in order to ensure the continuing success of subsequent editions of his text in an increasingly competitive market. This study emphasizes Samuelson’s ambiguous attitude toward his contenders, revealing, on the one hand, his apparent openness to discussion and outsiders’ suggestions, and, on the other hand, his firm attachment to mildly liberal politics and aversion to Marxism, unchanged through revisions. It also helps refine a notion that is often invoked but never fully expounded in textbook studies: that of the audience.

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Samuelson’s economics: The continuing legacy

Cited by 12 publications

References 5 publications

What do economic scholars consider powerful economic knowledge of importance for people in their private and public lives? Implications for teaching and learning economics in social studies

What do economic scholars consider powerful economic knowledge of importance for people in their private and public lives? Implications for teaching and learning economics in social studies

Introductory economics textbooks: what do they teach about sustainability?

Addressing the Audience: Paul Samuelson, Radical Economics, and Textbook Making, 1967–1973

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