The original book led to a reexamination of graduate education by the profession, and has been essential reading for prospective graduate students. I kind like the book, but only in that it reveals how messed up the economics profession is. Some background on me, I'm a rising junior who studies economics at Swarthmore College. Most of the profession still does not follow the simple research strategy that I follow. An indispensible tool for anyone thinking about graduate education in economics, this edition is complete with colorful interviews and predictions about the future of cutting-edge economics. Economists seem to be everywhere in the media these days. Like its predecessor, The Making of an Economist, Redux is likely to provoke discussion within economics and beyond. Log in to your personal account or through your institution. Joan As a U.S. student, I also probably am not representative. This training shapes the way they approach problems, process information, and carry out research, which in turn influences the policies they favor and the role they play in society. Colander’s conversational interviews with grad students are particularly fascinating, as they wrestle honestly with their thoughts on what economics can-and cannot-accomplish. I got excited by economics only because it seemed like you can do practical work that will affect the real world economics, and policies are something that helps with it. In these conversations, the students--the next generation of elite economists--colorfully and frankly describe what they think of their field and what graduate economics education is really like. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. The... EmmaWe’re a pretty diverse crowd. Updating David Colander and Arjo Klamer's classicThe Making of an Economist, this book shows what is happening in elite U.S. economics Ph.D. programs. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. It is more empirical and more concerned with applied problems than it was, and it focuses more on applied mathematics and less on pure mathematics than it did. I think on the previous read-through, I didn't feel like I could say I was sure I wanted to go to a doctoral program, which many of the interviewees in this book say is an important thing to be sure of (for good reason). PhD programs are geared. The author even used the word hazing to describe the process that students are put through and the mathemetical modeling to which they are subjected. Recomendado para la academia de economistas, Libro altamente recomendado, es bueno para aquellos que buscan estudiar la enseñanza de la economía como ciencia, sin duda permite abrir los horizontes tanto de los investigadores, profesores y alumnado. Having decided to apply, I figured I should read it again. The Making of an Economist, Redux, provides an update to the surveys of Colander and Kramer's initial The Making of an Economist. The Making Of An Economist, Redux by David Colander Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. JeffI answered yes; I would definitely do it over. Economists seem to be everywhere in the media these days. But these things have a way of changing and evolving, and so at the end I might think that I am more representative. (For EndNote, ProCite, Reference Manager, Zotero, Mendeley...), CHAPTER ONE Introduction: Understanding Economics and Economists, CHAPTER TWO The Making of an Economist, Redux, CHAPTER THREE Further Results from the Survey, CHAPTER FOUR How the Views of the Original Survey Respondents Have Changed. Going to policy making or anything non-academic is frowned upon, so I wonder how much practical work is actually done. The book overall gives a good overview of what the state of graduate education in economics was in the early 2000s, probably, it is outdated now. David C. Colander is the Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Economics at Middlebury College. Please try again. Fidi I am older than most students, and am much more critical than most students. Somewhere about my junior year I decided... KenMost do applied micro, but there is a second peak in macro theory. But I also believe that research is never nzeutral, and cannot be. on JSTOR. After reading this book I am shocked by how the current day curriculum is skewed towards the math and not the economic history and theory study. The Making of an Economist Redux 183 discussion of the view: "Departments of economics are graduating a generation of idiot savants, brilliant at esoteric mathemadcs yet innocent of actual economic life." Like its predecessor, The Making of an Economist, Redux is likely to provoke discussion within economics and beyond. There was some information that was useful about this, and the culture and environment of economics Ph. The samples are small and haphazard. The Making of an Economist Redux by David Colander. What and how are they taught? There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Please try again. Please try again. Having decided to apply, I figured I should read it again. Thus, economics grad school seemed like the reasonable thing to look into. All Rights Reserved. If you didn't study econ, you wouldn't care. But what exactly do today's economists do? I applied to all the best schools; among these, Stanford was one of my first choices because of its strength in Industrialization Organization. KenWe are probably representative in terms of fields. The original book led to a reexamination of graduate education by the profession, and has been essential reading for prospective graduate students. Some background on me, I'm a rising junior who studies economics at Swarthmore College. Princeton University Press (December 7, 2008), An overview of elite graduate training in economics, Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2007. Like volume 1, it can quickly turn into required reading. Start by marking “The Making Of An Economist, Redux” as Want to Read: Error rating book. I’m probably representative of the American students. Updating David Colander and Arjo Klamer's classic. Be the first to ask a question about The Making Of An Economist, Redux. The changes are evidenced in the survey by a decrease in student’s perceptions of the importance of mathematical skills, and an increase in student’s perceptions of the importance of empirical skills as determinants of success. The overrepresentation of labor and women go... You all filled out the questionnaire. Published in volume 19, issue 1, pages 175-198 of Journal of Economic Perspectives, Winter 2005, Abstract: This paper reports the findings of a survey and interviews with graduate students at seven top-ranking graduate economics programs. Part of my dissatisfaction with this book may stem from the fact that the one I got from the library is the one published around 1989 and not the "Redux". The book serves multiple target audiences. It is these changes that, in my view, have led to the better feeling... JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization helping the academic community use digital technologies to preserve the scholarly record and to advance research and teaching in sustainable ways. That's a liberal arts school for those of you who are wondering: what's that? I wish there would be such a book and a study for my PhD studies (Physics). I would say that there should be a much better way of presenting statistical data from the survey than a bunch of tables and written text with some reflections(plots, diagrams, illustration). Now, I feel less worried about both of those things, and ready to apply! A significant follow-up to his book of twenty years ago, it will become the standard account of what economics graduate school is like." In my class there are about 25 percent women. Use the Amazon App to scan ISBNs and compare prices. What and how are they taught? ©2000-2020 ITHAKA. Politics doesn’t really enter into many discussions. AdamI was interested in graduate school since my sophomore year in college. The survey and interview responses have to be full of interest for anyone who cares about the teaching of economics or, for that matter, anyone who cares about economics. Could each of you tell me how you came to Stanford? March 1st 2007 I believe that the results of this survey presented in Part I, and the conversations presented in Part II, give the reader a good picture of graduate economic education at elite schools in the early 2000s. Maybe model building? The first part of the book is about the questionnaire and a bunch of tables on the state of graduate education in economics in the US. When the goal is publishing journal articles, not advancing knowledge, you get all kinds of perverse incentives.". Might the elite schools indeed be training idiots savants, knowing a great deal of technique but little about the actual economy or, for that matter, the history of their own discipline? The meaning of a question and the answer may be understood slightly differently by respondents... Economics has changed over the past twenty years, in my view, for the better. It didn't put me off this time. At least that is my impression. I am in a strange niche of people who didn't study econ but in some sense wished I had. Though much of it is above my head because of my limited background in economics, it still answered a lot of questions I had and gave me a sense that graduate studies in economics may not be the path I seek. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. I think on the previous read-through, I didn't feel like I could say I was sure I wanted to go to a doctoral program, which many of the interviewees in this book say is an important thing to be sure of (for good reason). This is a follow-up to Colander and Klamer's first book of the (almost) same name. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. David Heska Wanbli Weiden knew just what he’d be doing as the August launch of his debut novel, Winter Counts, was approaching. If you studied econ, you'd know it. A thought provoking survey of economics graduate students around 2004. Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2008. The first time I read this book was either when I was in undergrad or shortly after I graduated, and at that time it put me off of applying to PhD programs. To the extent that it helped me understand that, the book was quite successful. I began this book with a lot more optimism about the economics profession and my own role in it than I had by the end. The students who take macro tend to be international students. In that game, success is measured by journal articles (weighted by journal quality), and advancement is in large part determined by the quality-weighted sum of one’s peer reviewed publications. PhD programs are geared towards those who intend to go on to academic positions, and hence are highly theoretical. Economics is interesting. Students’ graduate training is devoted to creating efficient journal article writers. D. students and the economics departments of major universities. The 13-digit and 10-digit formats both work. I think I was the only person who knew what Marxist economics was. The second part of the book is a c. This book is very specific and, unless you are considering a PhD in economics or you are strongly interested in it, do not read this book. In many ways, the replicator dynamics of graduate school play a larger role in determining economists’ methodology and approach than all the myriad papers written about methodology.