Global Pluralist Economics Training 2021

Decolonize economics! - Global Pluralist Economics Training 2021

In order to be able to learn from and debate with each other on an equal footing, we are striving to further internationalize the movement for pluralism in economics. We want to diversify the discourse on a sustainable and just global economy. Therefore, we established the Global Pluralist Economics Training (GPET) to challenge mainstream economics and add perspectives that are underrepesented. Especially when discussing topics like unequal development opportunities due to the long legacy of colonialism or various crises, like the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is precisely the global exchange between young people that is indispensable.

In 2021 we started our second round of the GPET (Global Pluralist Economics Training) with 20 amazing participants from 14 different countries. They attended six different trainings as well as additional meetings and organized their own online, local or hybrid event at the end of our program. Together with highly qualified facilitators we had the chance to talk about what "Decolonize, Decolonizing and Decolonization" could mean, we had capacity building workshops on how to talk to academics or how to change our economics curriculum. Our participants also attended the Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics 2021 and were part of different project groups. 

You can take a look at the events that resulted from this year's GPET down below! 

 

 

The training consisted of six online training workshops on organizational capacity building from July through October 2021. These workshops were complemented by several online meetings, in which the participants shared their expertise and we discussed the program. The meetings also provided an open space for the discussion of any upcoming issues. Besides the workshops and meetings, participation in the Online Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics (Jul 30- Aug 6, 2021) was also included. 

What were the online workshops about?

They provided capacity building and fostered knowledge exchange with the central goal to strengthen the organization of similar educational formats around the world. Besides the workshops, the participants had the possibility to connect with the Summer Academy organizing team to draw from their experiences and networks. You can see the full range of workshops and meetings in the table below. Compared to the year before, we included a content oriented workshop on "Declonize, Decolinzing and Decolonization" with Dr. Glennie Moore in this year's program. We wanted to create a foundation for our work together and talk about the general issue of why Economics needs to be Decolonized and what this could mean from the perspectives of our participants. Furthermore, we tried to include facilitators from different Rethinking Economics groups as well to create networks and possiblities to exchange experiences in the activist work that we do around the world. 

 

 

The local events organised by GPET participants

As part of GPET, we encouraged the trainees to organize their own workshops in the second half of the year together with possible partners like universities, political foundations and/or NGOs. This could be the first step towards another Summer Academy of Pluralist Economics or a similar educational event that would take place in the so-called countries of the global south. You can find a collection of the events organized by our great GPET 2021 participants and enjoy the insightful documentation:

 Indonesia

Diversifying the Economics Education Introduction to Pluralist Economics. Rethinking Economics Indonesia

 

The speaker, Dyah S. Pritadrajati currently works as a consultant at the Asian Development Bank, among pursuing a PhD at the Australian National University Ardnt-Corden Department of Economics. She specializes in the international economics and development topics, particularly on the intersection of labor economics, migration, social policy, technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

 

Organisation Name: ​Rethinking Economics Indonesia

 

 Colombia

1. Cultural Based Discrimination (CBD) on Economics of Discrimination by Dr. Annie Tubadji on September 10, 2021. 

                

 

2. The Economics of China's Rise: State-Market Relations in the Reform Era

The pre-opening event of the International Economics Congress, The Economics of China's Rise: State-Market Relations in the Reform Era, featured two incredible guest speakers. As keynote speaker was Isabella Weber, PhD in Economics from The New School for Social Research and PhD in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge and as commentator we had Lina Luna Beltrán, Sinologist and internationalist, PhD (c) in Law from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

 Zambia

Launching Event Rethinking Economics Zambia: Introduction to Pluralist Economics

Mulungushi Liaise Economics Society (MuLES) is the local group situated in Zambia founded in early March, 2021. MuLES aimed at ensuring the economics that is taught at Mulungushi University is that of right realization, pluralist and equitably to students and the society. 

This event introduces the discipline of Pluralist Economics both at the classroom and in society. Also to introduce Rethinking Economics Zambia Network and Mulungushi Liase Economic Society as a local group. The guest lecturer were Ms. Birte Strunk Ph.D. candidate at the New School in New York and Mr. Peter Musangu a senior Economist from Zambia Railways Limited.

They recorded a radio show for the Launching Event of the Rethinking Economics Network Zambia:

And, you can find the recording of the webinar here:

 Philippines

Klimanomiks: Our economic footprint and the climate change crisis

The webinar aims to inform Filipino people about the underlying economics of climate change and the climate crisis experienced by the Philippines.

While the concept of pollution, climate change, and sustainability are common knowledge, Filipinos are not generally aware that the climate crisis is also caused by an underlying economic problem. A webinar is a way to raise awareness about the climate crisis while also expanding economic literacy so that Filipinos can act themselves while knowing how to react on government policies regarding the climate.

With the upcoming 2022 Philippine national elections and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26), climate change has become a more pressing topic that needs to be talked about and its solutions to be implemented. Especially as Philippines ranked 9th among 181 nations in the 2020 World Risk Index, which lists the countries most affected by extreme weather events; and in 4th-place in the Global Climate Risk Index 2021, which named the countries that are most severely hit by extreme weather events from 2000 to 2019. 

Along with the keynote speech from DOF Assistant Secretary, Paola Alvarez, with us to discuss three different topics are Ms. Birte Strunk, an economics Ph.D. student at the New School for Social Research in New York City; Dr. Gay Defiesta, an economist at UP Visayas and a member of the national panel of technical experts on climate change; and Ms. Nazrin Castro, the manager of The Climate Reality Project's Philippine branch

 

 

 Mexico

Online talk with Giovanni Villavicencio about “Understanding development in Latin America. What can be done? Rethinking Economics UNAM

Giovanni Villavicencio: Meritocracia, ¿qué es y por qué no funciona? Primera charla de la serie: Desarrollo en América Latina, ¿qué podemos hacer? Rethinking Economics UNAM, en colaboración con Exploring Economics y la Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.

 

Online talk with Monika Meireles: Pensamiento económico latinoamericano, México y Brasil ante la pandemia. Rethinking Economics UNAM.Segunda charla de la serie: Desarrollo en América Latina, ¿qué podemos hacer? Rethinking Economics UNAM, en colaboración con Exploring Economics y la Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.

 

 

 Uganda

The state of Ugandas Economy - In the Eyes of Young Economists. Organized by the Makere University Economics Society and Open Economics Uganda.

With panelists Hannington Ddamulira, Policy Analyst at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Enock Will Nsubuga Bulime, Young Professional at EPRC on Novemeber 11, 20221. 

 

 

 

The Escuela Latinoamericana de Economía Heterodoxa (ELEH)

The Escuela Latinoamericana de Economía Heterodoxa was held between August 28 and September 26 of 2021. It was an educational program designed for economics and other social sciences students with the aim of helping develop critical and pluralistic thinking through a heterodox economics program. Students were offered the opportunity to select from two programs: one on Structuralism and another on Post Development.

In addition to that, all students were invited to keynote speeches offered by the renowned economists Ricardo Ffrench-Davis and Carolina Alves. Students also participated in tutoring sessions where they received guidance on research methodology and feedback on their research projects.

One of the main objectives of the school was to generate spaces for discussion and academic production with a critical perspective, which is why participants were encouraged to make a research proposal or diffusion articles. As a result, more than 50 research proposals were developed during the school and today we have more than 30 articles that will be published in DAS networks and in our media channels.

Professos and Tutors

Considering the absence of diversity and pluralism in economic teaching, the ELEH is a program that aims to provide theoretical and practical tools for Latin American students who lack heterodox tools and frameworks to better understand the economic reality of the region and bring about positive change. In order to fulfill this gap, it became relevant to promote space for theoretical approaches that consider the international inequality that the latinamerican region faced, historical and cultural conditions, and specific opportunities that the region has to enhance life standard using economics policies. In this sense, the ELEH, in its first version, provided two theoretical teaching activities in structuralism and post development.

Students

The selection of students was made according to the following evaluation criteria: academic affinity, motivation letter and research proposal. The number of applicants was 122 and a total of 90 students were accepted to the school, of which 45 went to Structuralism and 45 to Post Development. The students were assigned to classes based on their topic of their interest. Each pillar had four class sessions and three tutoring sessions. In total, one hundred students from thirteen countries of the Latin American region participated in the School. The countries with the highest number of participants were Chile, Peru, Argentina and Ecuador.

           

 

Who can apply?

People from a country of the so-called global south (Africa, Latin America, or Asia) who are students, PhD candidates, or working in any other way in economics or a related discipline. The applicants were seeking a more pluralist, a more sustainable, a more socially oriented stance of economics. Some were involved with local or regional pluralist economics groups or networks like Rethinking Economics or De America Soy already

One of the main goals of our program was to support and strengthen your work in your home country. This is easier in a group. That is why we also encouraged applications as teams. We wanted to make the Global Pluralist Economics Training 2021 as inclusive as possible. Therefore, we highly welcomed applications from women and other less represented voices in academia.

Were there any costs?

There was no participation fee. You can be a trainee free of charge. Since the program will run online, the only thing you need is access to a computer and a stable internet connection. If necessary, we can support you by covering internet usage costs.

You can have a look at the highlights from last years Global Pluralist Economics Training 2020 here.

What are the main objectives?

The main goal of the Pluralist Economics Movement is to transform the economics curriculum by creating new learning spaces like summer schools, writing workshops and e-learning platforms.

We want to encourage the trainees to learn from the activities of the global Pluralist Economics movement so that they organize their own workshops in the second half of the year together with partners like universities, political foundations and/or NGOs. Such long-term exchange and networking will surely strengthen the global movement for pluralism in economics.

To achieve this, we share the resources of our e-learning platform Exploring Economics (www.exploring-economics.org), which currently offers more than 1000 learning resources for 34,000 monthly visitors. We want to make this e-learning platform available to teachers and students in countries of the global south so that they can contribute to and draw from it. Through cooperating and collaborating with the GPET trainees we would like to find project partners as well as volunteers to improve and promote Exploring Economics.

Who organized this program?

We have waited long enough for universities to change curricula in favour of more pluralism and diversity, and are taking matters into our own hands with the Global Pluralist Economics Training.

As in previous years, Exploring Economics is joining forces with the Protestant Academy of Thuringia in organizing the Global Pluralist Economics Training as well as the Summer Academy. As a vivid actor in civic education, the Evangelische Akademie Thüringen offers rooms for civil discourse about the conditions of a democratic, liberal and just society. We as Exploring Economics are the e-learning project of the Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik, which also consists of many different local groups across Germany.

 

We are cooperating with Rethinking Economics IndiaRethinking Economics InternationalDe América Soy and Open Economics Uganda. Rethinking Economics International is an even bigger network with lots of local groups globally. RE India and De América Soy, a network of Latin American organizations, advocate for pluralism in economics in their regions. The ISIPE is active worldwide to promote diversity in economic theory and methodology as well as to foster interdisciplinary exchange and cooperation. Our summer academy proves that this kind of cooperation is indeed possible.  

 

The Global Pluralist Economics Training (GPET) is mainly supported by the Heinrich-Böll Foundation, which is a political foundation close to the party Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen in Germany. The foundation sees itself as an agency for green ideas and projects, as a reform policy future workshop and international network with partner projects in around 60 countries.

Let us know if you have any questions or want to get in touch with us. We are looking forward to your message.

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This project is brought to you by the Network for Pluralist Economics (Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik e.V.).  It is committed to diversity and independence and is dependent on donations from people like you. Regular or one-off donations would be greatly appreciated.

 

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