Interesting read. I share most of his sentiments, though I will add a few disagreements:
Trade across political borders differs in no relevant economic respects from trade that occurs within political borders.
Not true. Besides the standard stuff that economists do deal with, like currency regimes, there are a bunch of things that economists don't often deal with, like the fact that political borders are the boundaries of monopolies on violence, which seems like it should matter.
The most disturbing change that I’ve encountered in teaching is one that arose only in the past ten or twelve years. It’s the number of students who are granted by the university the special privilege of being able to take exams away from their classmates and with extra time.
I wonder if he'd feel that way if his own children were one of those that needed special accommodations.
I, too, think the system is being abused, but I wouldn't write about it the way he does, which sort of assumes that abuse is more common that actual accommodation of needs, including his use of "need" in scare quotes, which is actually a bit offensive (boomer).
My ECON 101 course is taught as if it’s the only economic course my students will ever take. Unlike many professors, I do not teach Principles of Microeconomics to prepare my students for Intermediate Microeconomics, which is the next course up in the curriculum.
Personally I shoot for a balance. I want to make my course such that if it's the only econ course they ever take, they'll learn something lifelong from it. But I also want to prepare them for the rigors of higher level courses. As an non-Austrian Austrian sympathizing economist, I still place a high value on being able to understand the rigorous mathematical foundations of economic analysis.
Interesting read. I share most of his sentiments, though I will add a few disagreements:
Not true. Besides the standard stuff that economists do deal with, like currency regimes, there are a bunch of things that economists don't often deal with, like the fact that political borders are the boundaries of monopolies on violence, which seems like it should matter.
I wonder if he'd feel that way if his own children were one of those that needed special accommodations.
I, too, think the system is being abused, but I wouldn't write about it the way he does, which sort of assumes that abuse is more common that actual accommodation of needs, including his use of "need" in scare quotes, which is actually a bit offensive (boomer).
Personally I shoot for a balance. I want to make my course such that if it's the only econ course they ever take, they'll learn something lifelong from it. But I also want to prepare them for the rigors of higher level courses. As an non-Austrian Austrian sympathizing economist, I still place a high value on being able to understand the rigorous mathematical foundations of economic analysis.