Changing the field of economics and ultimately the theories, policies and practices of a 21st century economy will take serious, sustained work over many years. To that end, INET establishes special Research Programs around themes that will be critical to our success.
These ambitious efforts will be led by prominent economic scholars, often members of our Advisory Board, who have the stature and the experience to lead. Their job will be to energize the field of focus and manage the program of research that will be carried out by younger professors and graduate students who will receive funding similar to those who will be supported by individual grants.
The initial cycle of Inaugural Grants included awards for three Research Programs, which will support the work of many scholars and so have large budgets that will carry on for multiple years. The Economics Curriculum Committee, which is focused on reforming the teaching of economics, is funded outside the Grants process.
The Economics Curriculum Committee, chaired by Lord Robert Skidelsky and Perry Mehrling, is developing curriculum reform recommendations for both US and non-US academic institutions to be presented at the next INET plenary conference.
The Research Program Human Capital and Economic Opportunity, under the leadership of James Heckman at the University of Chicago, is designated to integrate human capital development research with research on macro markets, and to build an international network of researchers from multiple disciplines. For more information on this 5-year Research Program, please see its dedicated website.
The Research Program History of Economic Thought, chaired by Bruce Caldwell at Duke University’s Center for the History of Political Economy, is preparing young scholars to teach and to do research in the history of economics, and promoting the use of history of economics in graduate research in other fields of economics.
The Research Program Economic History, chaired by Barry Eichengreen at the University of California Berkeley, is ramping up the production of historically literate economists capable of contributing to the policy debate.
