What Can Behavioral Economics Teach Us about Teaching Economics?

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

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2. Introduction

   • Supriya Sarnikar

   Pages 1-2

3. Are Economists Successful Communicators of Their Disciplinary Knowledge?

   • Supriya Sarnikar

   Pages 3-11

4. Current Research Efforts in Economics Education

   • Supriya Sarnikar

   Pages 12-32

5. Learning Theories and Instruction Design

   • Supriya Sarnikar

   Pages 33-45

6. What Prevents Thinking Like an Economist

   • Supriya Sarnikar

   Pages 46-75

7. Leveraging Insights from Behavioral Economics Literature to Improve Education

   • Supriya Sarnikar

   Pages 76-87

8. Conclusion

   • Supriya Sarnikar

   Pages 88-93

9. Back Matter

   Pages 94-108

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Sarnikar cites evidence of frequent misconceptions of economics amongst students, graduates, and even some economists, and argues that behavioral economists are uniquely qualified to investigate causes of poor learning in economics. She conducts a review of the economics education literature to identify gaps in current research efforts and suggests a two-pronged approach to fill the gaps: an engineering approach to the adoption of innovative teaching methods and a new research program to enhance economists' understanding of how learning occurs. To facilitate research into learning processes, Sarnikar provides an overview of selected learning theories from psychology, as well as new data on hidden misconceptions amongst beginning students of economics. She argues that if they ask the right questions, economists of all persuasions are likely to find surprising lessons in the answers of beginning students of economics.

• Behavioral economics
• learning mechanisms
• economics education
• behavioral economics
• economic theory
• economics
• education

• Westfield State University, USA

  Supriya Sarnikar

Supriya Sarnikar is Associate Professor of Economics at Westfield State University, USA. Her research has appeared in several journals including the American Economic Review. She earned a PhD in economics from the University of Arizona, USA, and a law degree from George Mason University, USA, where she was also a recipient of the Robert A. Levy Fellowship in Law and Liberty.

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