Are People Trained in Economics “Different,” and if so, Why? A Literature Review

Abstract

Some argue that frequent confrontation with the homo economicus actor-concept motivates economists to adjust their behavior to that paradigm. Another thesis is that economists are different because the discipline attracts individuals with preferences that differ from those of noneconomists. This article discusses survey, experimental, and field evidence collected during this debate. In certain situations, there appear differences between the behavior of people trained in economics and other groups, but as the existing evidence is mostly ambiguous, a comprehensive picture of the nature and sources of these differences has not yet emerged. The article concludes that economics teachers and researchers should pay more attention to the influence the normative statements inherent in basic neoclassical economics can have on cognitive frames and interindividual processes in moral decision making. JEL Classifications: A13, A2

Self-selection or indoctrination in the study of (standard) economics: A systematic literature review

“…It is therefore not surprising that those who have been trained for several years in this way of thinking are more in favour of market-oriented solutions than the rest of the population (Kirchgässner, 2005). Some authors attribute these behavioural changes to a specific subject area, Microeconomics (Bauman and Rose, 2011; Cipriani et al, 2008; Hellmich, 2019; Klimczak, 2018; Lanteri, 2008; McCannon, 2014; Rosengart et al, 2020; Zhou, 2013), or directly focus on the representative agent in the study of economics – the homo economicus – because, according to them, this behavioural paradigm is insufficient to understand human behaviour. This representative agent is considered to be rational, self-interested and individualistic, and representing this agent as the economic ideal could foster the following behaviours in students (Bauman and Rose, 2011; Espín et al, 2021; Fischer et al, 2017; Graça et al, 2016; Lopes et al, 2015; Spiegelman, 2021).…”

“…Specifically, Claiborne (2002) argues that the homo economicus spends his or her time making cold, calculated decisions designed to obtain the best outcome from a set of possibilities that are arranged in a clear order of preference. Thus, as students learn standard economics, they adapt their behaviour to this behavioural pattern and may even have negative consequences (Hellmich, 2019).…”

“…Notably, testing the indoctrination hypothesis cross-sectionally makes it difficult to establish causality (Bauman and Rose, 2011; Collin and Schmidt, 2020; Hellmich, 2019; Hummel et al, 2018; Neubaum et al, 2009; Petersen and Ford, 2019; Seçilmis, 2014). A second limitation is the lack of replication of the leading studies in other universities (Collin and Schmidt, 2020; Hellmich, 2019; Neubaum et al, 2009; Petersen and Ford, 2019; Segal et al, 2011), in other countries (Delgado et al, 2019), or with students who have a higher level of economics education (MBA or EMBA) (Neubaum et al, 2009). Replication in other countries is advisable as some authors argue that culture could also influence students’ attitudes (Collin and Schmidt, 2020; Dzionek-Kozlowska and Rehman, 2017).…”

Los efectos sobre los estudiantes de una experiencia de renovación curricular en Economía

“…En particular, destacan intensos debates acerca de si existe un efecto adoctrinamiento asociado a la enseñanza de la Economía, es decir, si cursar estudios en esta disciplina favorece determinadas conductas y actitudes. En esta línea, encontramos estudios acerca de si la formación en Economía promueve el desarrollo de actitudes más egoístas o poco proclives a la cooperación (Bauman, y Rose, 2011;Frank et al, 1993;Haucap y Just, 2010;Hellmich, 2019;Wang et al, 2012), sobre si afecta a la conciencia ambiental y a la consideración de las intervenciones en este ámbito (Cifuentes-Faura et al, 2020;Harries et al, 2017) e, incluso, sobre su impacto en los REIDICS, 9, 2021, pp. 189-206 comportamientos sexistas y políticos e ideológicos (Fischer et al, 2017;Lange y Pitsoulis, 2013;Paredes et al, 2020).…”

Behavioral Interventions and Students' Success at University - Evidence from Randomized Field Experiments

“…Studies show that the characteristics of students in these subjects can be different from the general student population. In ME, females -who are argued to be less competitive (Niederle and Vesterlund, 2011) -are often underrepresented, and studies suggest that students of Economics behave more rational than the general population (Hellmich, 2019). Bundesamt, 2020b).…”