Article by Bastiaan van der Broek and Sam de Muijnck in the Journal of Economic Education. The article was written to inspire the economics and business studies course and shows that economics encompasses much more than market and government alone. A conversation with Irene van Staveren, professor of pluralistic development economics, reveals how community economics and unpaid labor play an indispensable role in meeting human needs.Â
These perspectives make it clear that economic processes are not exclusively about financial transactions, but also about a sense of community, social cohesion and sustainability.Â
The article thus offers a richer and more future-proof picture of what economics can be, and how this discipline can challenge students to look at society with a broader view.
(Photo: Rodi Media/MvS)