{"product_id":"how-economics-professors-can-stop-failing-us-the-discipline-at-a-crossroads-9780739198353","title":"How Economics Professors Can Stop Failing Us The","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book provides an eye-opening exposà that reveals the behavior of economics professors based on the highly questionable incentive system they face. It is particularly critical of the theoretical literature they produce as if they were contestants in a superficial publication gameâa game where scientific integrity is often ignored.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFew people working in university economics departments over the past few years could be unaware of the rising tide of criticism about the profession. From the collective failure of economists to predict the GFC; complaints about the narrowness of mainstream curriculum and poor teaching, to the lack of ethical behaviour among some individual economists, the discipline has been described as “in crisis.” Within the towers of academia, however, few economists seem to be listening, or even concerned with, the increased level of attacks. It is this lack of response that motivates Steven Payson’s recent book.... This book adds to the growing calls for change in the way the economics profession operates. * International Review of Economics Education *\u003cbr\u003eIt is clear that it is time to change economics, and Payson is yet one more voice that (hopefully) will make such change inevitable. * The London School of Economics and Political Science Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003eThankfully, no knowledge of advanced mathematics is required to read Payson’s book or to understand his examples, which he carefully and artfully explains with words and pictures. * Financial History *\u003cbr\u003eThe book is written in a strong tone and the straightforward approach of the author is certainly not commonly seen. . . . this was an interesting read, and should provide fodder for reflection and discourse for a member of the academia. * Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management *\u003cbr\u003eSteven Payson, the author of this provocatively titled book, is a former career federal government economist who has the temerity to argue that economics could be a useful science if mainstream academic economist theoreticians would simply adopt and employ the scientific method in a serious effort to provide an understanding of the world in which we live. Instead, he convincingly argues, the culture of academic economists encourages and rewards a mathematical modeling onanism that is not only not “seminal,” but is instead practically barren of any contributions to that understanding. . . . There is much anger and outrage expressed by the author in the course of his argument, and yet the book is not just a polemic. If Payson’s critique is on the mark, the question of what to do is certainly an important one. * The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics *\u003cbr\u003ePayson’s career has given him a rare perspective on economics in both practical policy use and in academia. He uses the fundamental insight of economics itself, that of the impact of incentives on behavior, to build a powerful indictment of the academic economics profession in the United States. Economics occupies a dominant position in public policy making, and this book will be an eye-opener for the general public. -- Paul Ormerod, Volterra Partners\u003cbr\u003eThankfully, no knowledge of advanced mathematics is required to read Payson’s book or to understand his examples, which he carefully and artfully explains with words and pictures. * Financial History *\u003cbr\u003eI defend the right of academics in genuine sciences to set their own agendas free of political interference: they are the best judges of the best ways to extend their research. This does not apply to economics. As Payson explains, economics today is like Astronomy before Copernicus, hiding behind academic freedom to perpetuate a fantasy model of reality, undisturbed by its real world failures. It needs to be disturbed by the public, students, business people and politicians. That is the only hope for a realistic economics. -- Steve Keen, Kingston University\u003cbr\u003eTo be polite, everyone is aware that the economics profession is facing a large number of “issues.”  Payson’s book shines a bright light on a number of these issues.  Whether or not you agree with him on the solutions, this book is worth reading.  You can’t go more than a few pages without running into something you’ve seen or heard in the profession that makes you wonder where economics is going. -- W. Charles Sawyer, Texas Christian University\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePreface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: No, This Is Not a Joke Chapter 2: Why Does Theoretical Economic Literature Exist? Chapter 3: What Allows “Literature-Only” Theoretical Discourse to Exist? Chapter 4: How the Game is Played Chapter 5: The Quest for Honest Truth in Economic Science Chapter 6: The Effects of Electronic Files, Citation Counts, and Bibliometric Databases Chapter 7: Scholarship, Though Beautiful, Cannot Save the Academic Economics Profession Chapter 8: Academic Economics at Its Dumbest and Ugliest Chapter 9: Violations of Professional Ethics, Whether by Ignorance or Intent Chapter 10: Product Evolution and a Personal Story Chapter 11: Conclusion: What Must Be Done in Academic Economics Bibliography About the Author","brand":"Lexington Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51037557784919,"sku":"9780739198353","price":39.6,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/how-economics-professors-can-stop-failing-us-the-discipline-at-a-crossroads-9780739198353","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}