SINCE the start of what some now call the “Great Recession” in 2007, economists have been unable to avoid comparing it with the Depression of the early 1930s. For some, the comparisons are explicit. Economists like Paul Krugman and Barry Eichengreen have drawn parallels between the two slumps. Olivier Blanchard, chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), warned several times over the last few years that the world risked falling into a new “Great Depression”. Economic historians themselves have had an unprecedented role in policy making during the recent crisis. Ben Bernanke at the Federal Reserve and Obama-administration advisors like Christina Romer all have academic backgrounds in the discipline.

Date: Monday 25th Nov, 5.15pm 
Venue: Little Hall Sidgwick site
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/events/246479608843525/ 

There has been much talk in the press (see links below) recently about the needed reforms to the teaching of Economics and CSEP is very excited to participate in this debate. Indeed, The Treasury and bank of England as well as many employers complained that economics graduates were not fit for the labour market as they did not know enough about reality. Dr Coyle, OBE, Managing Director of Enlightenment Economics and a former advisor to the UK Treasury, will try to address these matters, analysing what is missing from today's economics curricula and proposing concerete changes to improve them. Please Invite your friends and attend the facebook event!!! 

We also aim to take this opportunity to create a focus group that will tackle this issue in Cambridge and will meet regularly to organise activities and campaigns. To kick this off, on Monday 25th at 1pm, we are organising a Skype Chat with Zach WP from the Manchester Post Crash Economics Society in the graduate common room, first floor of the Marshall Library. 

See you there!

About the speaker: 
Diane Coyle did her undergraduate studies at Brasenose College, Oxford, reading philosophy, politics, and economics, before gaining an MA and a PhD in Economics from Harvard University, graduating in 1985. Coyle was an economist at the UK Treasury from 1985 to 1986, and later became the European Editor of Investors Chronicle between 1993 and 2001 and economics editor of The Independent. Coyle was also a presenter on BBC Radio 4, is a member of the UK Border Agency's Migration Advisory Committee, a former member of the UK's Competition Commission, member of the Royal Economic Society and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She has written a series of books focused on educating people about different aspects of economics. Her latest are "GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History" Princeton University Press, 2014), "The Economics of Enough: How to run the economy as if the future matters" (Princeton University Press, 2011),"The Soulful Science: what economists really do and why it matters" (Princeton University Press, 2007) 

Press coverage: 
 Treasury conference 11 November, attended also by CSEP representatives: Economics explains our world – but economics degrees don’t By Wendy Carlin 
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/74cd0b94-4de6-11e3-8fa5-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2lHqUAXEP 

‘Dismal science’ seeks fresh thinking after failure in crisis By Claire Jones, Economics reporter 
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f015a3ac-4aed-11e3-ac3d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2lHqUAXEP 

Orthodox economists have failed their own market test Seumas Milne http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/20/orthodox-economists-failed-market-test

Post-Keynesians are staging a comeback http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/nov/18/post-keynesians-comeback 

 University economics teaching to be overhauled Move follows criticism over 'limited and outdated' curriculum and failure to include how financial markets can undermine stability http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/nov/11/university-economics-teaching-overhaul 

Economics lecturers accused of clinging to pre-crash fallacies http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/nov/10/economics-lecturers-accused-university-courses 

Manchester Post Crash Economics Society: Economics students need to be taught more than neoclassical theory Zach Ward-Perkins and Joe Earle http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/28/economics-students-neoclassical-theory

Economics students aim to tear up free-market syllabus Philip Inman http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/24/students-post-crash-economics