sanity, humanity and science
post-autistic economics newsletter
extra   19 December 2000                                                      
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News Flash: Paris  

First Crack Appears in the Neoclassical Wall  

Across France this evening, economics students are celebrating a tentative victory that could be a sign of a brighter future for economics and humankind.   Six representatives of the student reform group Autisme-Economie met today with J-P Fitoussi, the economist appointed by the French Minister of Education to draft a report on the teaching of economics.  This report will  have great practical importance because in France the economics curriculum is mainly set nationally.  Participants in today's meeting say that the basis of a working relationship was established.   More surprising, and the cause for celebration, was that Fitoussi agreed with the students to propose some new courses oriented to "the big problems", for example unemployment, and the economy and the environment.  Fitoussi plans to meet regularly with the students and to submit his report in mid June.  

If kept, these promises are the first practical fruits of the post-autistic economics movement.  These significant concessions in favour of pluralism and of an outward looking rather than autistic economics are made against both a widening and a deepening of support for the PAE movement in France, especially among students.  Members of Autisme-Economie, rather than rest on the laurels of last summer's successes, have worked tirelessly through the autumn, organizing debates at universities around France, launching a new petition, canvassing support and pursuing journalists.  Meanwhile numerous economists have contributed articles to newspapers and magazines, arguing the case for an  economics engaged with living realities.  Their and the students' efforts have established the question of the reform of economics and of economics teaching  as an important public debate in France that shows no signs of subsiding.   

Six months ago, nowhere in the world was the grip of the neoclassical-formalist regime thought to be more secure than in France.  Today's victory shows us all that reform, even fundamental reform, is possible.      


Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year
E.F.