Post-autistic economics

The movement for Post-Autistic Economics (PAE) was born through the work of University of Paris 1 economist Bernard Guerrien. The movement is best seen as a forum of different groups critical of the current mainstream: behavioral economics, heterodox economics, feminist economics, green economics, and econo-physics. Started in 2000 by a group of disaffected French economics students, Post-Autistic Economics first reached a wider audience in June 2000 after an interview in Le Monde.

It was supported by the Cambridge Ph.D. students in 2001 with the publication of "Opening Up Economics: A Proposal By Cambridge Students", later signed by 797 economists.

The term autistic is used in an informal way, signifying "abnormal subjectivity, acceptance of fantasy rather than reality". It has been criticized for using the medical diagnosis, autism, as a derogatory expression.

Concept

PAE has challenged standard neoclassical assumptions and incorporated ideas from sociology and psychology into economic analysis^{[citation needed]}. Specifically, the notions of utility theory, rational choice, production and efficiency theory (Pareto optimality), and game theory have been criticised.

Other topics include "Gross National Happiness", realism vs. mathematical consistency, "Thermodynamics and Economics", or "Irrelevance and Ideology". Contributors include Bruce Caldwell, James K. Galbraith, Robert L. Heilbroner, Bernard Guerrien, Emmanuelle Benicourt, Ha-Joon Chang, Herman Daly and Richard D. Wolff.

Criticism of the term

Some mainstream economists - such as Robert Solow, in a long article in Le Monde, followed by another by Olivier Blanchard, the chair at MIT, as well as the publication of a counter-petition to the French students’ petition, a plea for the status quo - argue that a characterization of academic economics taught in today's colleges as autistic in the sense of closed-minded is unfair, since many branches of post-modern economics reject classical economic world-views and heavy reliance on mathematics.

In addition, the term "autistic" is a medical description of a developmental condition, and thus its use to characterize mainstream economics is considered by many to be highly insensitive and indicative of a lack of empathy and understanding on the part of self-described post-autistic economists for actual autistics.

In March, 2008, the post-autistic economics review changed its name to the real-world economics review.

See also

• Criticisms of neoclassical economics
• History of economics
• Pluralism in economics
• Post-Keynesian economics
• Real-world economics review

Literature

• ALCORN, Stanley and SOLARZ, Ben. The Autistic Economist, Yale Economic Review
• Real World Economics: A Post-Autistic Economics Reader, ed. by Edward Fullbrook, Anthem Press, 2007, ISBN 1-84331-236-0
• Mark Blaug. "Ugly Currents in Modern Economics", Policy Options, September 1997. Available as PDF.
• Peter Monaghan. "Taking on Rational Man: Dissident economists fight for a niche in the discipline", Chronicle of Higher Education, 24 January 2003.
• Richard Smith, "Eco-suicidal Economics of Adam Smith," Capitalism Nature Socialism, Volume 18 Number 2 (June 2007): 22-43. PDF at [1]
• Fred Foldvary (ed). Beyond Neoclassical Economics: Heterodox Approaches to Economic Theory, Edward Elgar Publishing, Aldershot, U.K., 1996.

External links

• Official site of the PAE organisation and newsletter
• The Post-Autistic Economic Review, a scholarly journal published by the movement
• AIRLEAP
• New Economics Foundation
• The People-Centered Development Forum
• Article Taking On 'Rational Man' - Dissident economists fight for a niche in the discipline
• Magazine and newsletter of post-autistic Spanish students
• Website of the french students movement for a reform of the teaching in economics
• Article 'Kick it Over! – The Rise of Post-Autistic Economics' in Adbusters magazine, 2004 Sept.