For many years, economics education has been the subject of debate, given its vital function: educating our society's most powerful technocrats. Therefore, as James J. Heckman writes, it is vital that economics students be educated with a broad perspective and know how to contribute effectively as economists in practice.
Economic thinking and policy are undergoing fundamental changes in the Netherlands and worldwide, driven by societal challenges and developments in science. At its core is a new conception of economic success centered on well-being, security and sustainability. Scientists, policy makers, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, international organizations such as the IMF (2024) and the OECD (2020), university faculties of Economics and Business (2022), and the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (2021), are all engaged in fundamentally recalibrating economic ideas and practices.
Several years ago, the debate on economics education in the Netherlands intensified with the KVS Preadviezen (2016) and the undergraduate curriculum report Thinking like an Economist? (2018). Since then, the world has changed and so has Dutch economics education. Many departments have been serious about updating their curriculum and further improvements are in the works. Wageningen has focused its program on sustainability. Utrecht has made its program fundamentally interdisciplinary. Leiden University has even created a completely new bachelor's and master's program focused on Dutch economic policy. VU has also attempted to create a new bachelor's called Social Economy to establish which would focus on societal challenges.
The first public national meeting of economic deans was held in 2022, followed by the publication of a "transformative agenda" (2023). In a recent episode of the HUMAN television program What is holding us back? the National Chair of Deans of Economics set their goal: that within 5 years, degree programs be ready to meet the needs of society. This report takes stock of these developments and outlines the current situation. Main conclusion: there really is something to choose for potential economics students.
