On 10 January, 35 A level economists learnt the limitations of mainstream economic thinking through a series of culinary anecdotes at the launch of Research Professor of Economics at SOAS (and former Cambridge University Professor), Ha-Joon Chang’s latest book, Edible Economics: A Hungry Economist Explains the World.
Reflecting on the event, Year 12 student, Rachel, said:
“Ha-Joon Chang talk opened our minds to a broader outlook on the nature of economics, beyond the A level syllabus. He opened the Lecture with an introduction to his new book, Edible Economics which uses food analogies and everyday life to explain how economic concepts and theories are applied to society.
Chang brought up the concept of pluralism and fusion between economic schools of thought, and how narrow-mindedness (or the dependence on one view such as Neo-Classical Economics alone) can lead to bias and ultimately bad outcomes that affect society's welfare.
A Q&A session was held afterwards, and questions like “How would you manage the budget of the UK during our current cost of living crisis?” led the lecture into an interesting discussion about how economics can be applied in society and made us realise how important this social science is in our lives. He used real-life examples as evidence such as poverty and healthcare provision in the UK today in comparison to other countries and made people question how they have been influenced by what they have been taught by neoclassical economics.
It was a very informative and insightful evening, and we are grateful to Mr Robertson for organising it.”
Junior School Open Day
The next Alleyn's Junior School Open Event is from 1.30pm to 3pm on Wednesday 22 May 2024. There will be a Head's Talk at 1.40pm after which you will be offered a tour of the school with a pupil. There is no need to book a place at this Open Event - everyone is welcome.
Last updated on 20 05 24 at 09:12
.jpg)
