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1、ECONOMICSFORAHIGHEREDUCATIONWilliamE.Becker*InBecker(1997),Icalledattentiontoeconomists’lackofinterestintheteachingofeconomicsandtheplungingnumberofmajorsineconomicswithintheUnitedStates.SixyearslaterIreportedonthegrowthineconomists’interestintheteachingofeconomicsandanapparentturn-aroundi
2、nthenumberofmajors(Becker,2003).Forinstance,wheneconomicsdegreeswereatarelativehighof2.13percentofallU.S.Bachelor’sdegreesawardedin1988,onlyacoupleofsessionsatAlliedSocialScienceAssociationsmeetingsweredevotedtotheteachingofeconomics.Atthelowpointforeconomicsdegreesin1996,thereweresixASSAs
3、essionsdevotedtoteachingeconomics,withanexplosionto16suchsessionsby2002.Themistakennotionsthattherearenoincentivesforteachingandthatteachingdoesnotmatterinastudent’schoiceofacourseofstudywererefutedbytherevealedpreferencesofacademiceconomistsattheseASSAmeetings,whereattendanceinthesehigher
4、numbersofsessionsonteachingeconomicswerealsoamongthehighestofallsessions.Economistsapparentlyrecognizedthattheirteachingisoneofthefewpolicyleverstheycontrolled,butthatdoesnotnecessarilyimplythattheyhavelearnedwhatisrequiredforgoodteaching(BeckerandWatts,1996;2001),orwhatshouldbetaught.Inth
5、isarticleIprimarilyaddressthelatter(content)withpassingreferencetotheformer(teachingmethods).Inessence,inthisarticleIsynthesizemyarticlesintheChronicleofHigherEducation(Becker,2001),andSouthernEconomicJournal(Becker,2003).ForsometimewithintheUnitedStatestherehasbeenamovetoimposestandardson
6、highschoolsubjects,includingexpectationsofstudentspassingliteracytestsineconomicsforhighschoolgraduation(SiegfriedandMeszaros,1998).Butthesestandardsforliteracycanalsobeseenintheteachingofeconomicsatpost-secondarylevels(Hansen,SalemiandSiegfried,2002).Atboththehighschoolandpost-secondaryle
7、vels,thegoalistoenablestudentstousebasicconcepts(opportunitycost,comparativeadvantage,demandandsupply,marginalcomparisons,etc.)indiversesituationsasthemarkofbeingliterateineconomics.ItisbelievedthathavingstudentslearntouseafewDraftofSeptember18,2003:p.1concept
