The post-autistic economics movement (french: autisme-économie), or movement of students for the reform of economics teaching (french: mouvement des étudiants pour une réforme de l'enseignement de l'économie), is a

political movement A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

that criticises

neoclassical economics Neoclassical economics is an approach to economics in which the production, consumption and valuation (pricing) of goods and services are observed as driven by the supply and demand model. According to this line of thought, the value of a good ...

and advocates for

pluralism in economics The pluralism in economics movement is a campaign to change the teaching and research in economics towards more openness in its approaches, topics and standpoints it considers. The goal of the movement is to "reinvigorate the discipline ... nd b ...

. The movement gained attention after an open letter signed by almost a thousand economics students at French universities and

Grandes Écoles Grandes may refer to: *Agustín Muñoz Grandes Agustín Muñoz Grandes (27 January 1896 – 11 July 1970) was a Spanish general, and politician, vice-president of the Spanish Government and minister with Francisco Franco several times; also know ...

was published in ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

'' in 2000.

Terminology

The

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

term ''autisme'' has an older meaning and signifies "abnormal subjectivity, acceptance of fantasy rather than reality". However, post-autistic economists also "assert that neoclassical economics has the characteristics of an autistic child". The pejorative reference to the

neurodevelopmental disorder Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of disorders that affect the development of the nervous system, leading to abnormal brain function which may affect emotion, learning ability, self-control, and memory. The effects of neurodevelopmenta ...

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

is considered offensive by some economists.

Greg Mankiw Nicholas Gregory Mankiw (; born February 3, 1958) is an American macroeconomist who is currently the Robert M. Beren Professor of Economics at Harvard University. Mankiw is best known in academia for his work on New Keynesian economics. Mankiw ...

has said that "use of the term indicates a lack of empathy and understanding for those who live with actual, severe autism".

Response

The French minister of education appointed a panel headed by

Jean-Paul Fitoussi Jean-Paul Fitoussi (19 August 1942 – 15 April 2022) was a French economist and sociologist of Sephardi Jewish descent. Biography Born in La Goulette, French Protectorate of Tunisia, Fitoussi earned his Ph.D. ''cum laude'' in Law and Econ ...

to inquire into economics teaching. In 2000, the panel called for limited reform. Articles associated with the movement were published in the ''Post-Autistic Economics Newsletter'' from September 2000. This electronic newsletter became the ''

Post-Autistic Economics Review ''Real-World Economics Review'' is a peer-reviewed open access academic journal of heterodox economics published by the "Post-Autistic Economics Network" since 2000. Since 2011 it is associated with the World Economics Association. It was known fo ...

'' and, since 2008, has existed as the peer-reviewed journal ''

Real-World Economics Review ''Real-World Economics Review'' is a peer-reviewed open access academic journal of heterodox economics published by the "Post-Autistic Economics Network" since 2000. Since 2011 it is associated with the World Economics Association. It was known fo ...

''. Several responses to the French students' open letter were also published in ''

''. A counter-petition signed by 15 French economists was published in October 2000.

Robert Solow Robert Merton Solow, GCIH (; born August 23, 1924) is an American economist whose work on the theory of economic growth culminated in the exogenous growth model named after him. He is currently Emeritus Institute Professor of Economics at th ...

adhered to the "main thesis" of the French students' petition, but criticised the "opaque and almost incomprehensible" debate that followed among academics.

Olivier Blanchard Olivier Jean Blanchard (; born December 27, 1948) is a French economist and professor who is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He was the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund from September 1, 2 ...

also published a response defending mainstream economics. Other notable economists, such as

Steve Keen Steve Keen (born 28 March 1953) is an Australian economist and author. He considers himself a post-Keynesian, criticising neoclassical economics as inconsistent, unscientific and empirically unsupported. The major influences on Keen's thinking ...

and

James K. Galbraith James Kenneth Galbraith (born January 29, 1952) is an American economist. He is currently a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and at the Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Senior Schol ...

, wrote elsewhere in support of the French students.

Terminology

Response

See also

References

Further reading