Downsizing of Economics Professors - by Steven Payson (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of how economics professors should and will be downsized in the near future. The downsizing will occur as distance learning and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) become more widely used, leading to reductions in colleg...

Book Synopsis

This book provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of how economics professors should and will be downsized in the near future. The downsizing will occur as distance learning and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) become more widely used, leading to reductions in college tuition and improvements in economics education.

Review Quotes

Payson, by being willing to challenge the status quo, describes in a non-technical fashion a possible future in higher education where the quality of instruction in economics is higher and the cost of delivery is lower. Payson provides convincing responses to questions such as why so many economists continue to deliver lectures in person, how society is harmed when distance educational practices are not adopted, and why the economics profession should be smaller. This analysis, couched in economic logic and drawing from the author's perspective and experience as a practicing economist, is a must-read for anyone involved or interested in how higher education can be of higher quality as well as more cost efficient. This text is critical for understanding why technology should be adopted for teaching economics and why we all will benefit from upending the status quo.

About the Author

Steven Payson has been a consultant at ICF Incorporated and the Inter-American Development Bank; a senior economist at the National Science Foundation and the Departments of Agriculture and Interior; and a branch chief at the Bureau of Economic Analysis. He received his doctorate in economics from Columbia University. He has taught at Columbia University, American University, Georgetown, and Virginia Tech. Since 2006, Dr. Payson has been executive director of the Association for Integrity and Responsible Leadership in Economics, and in 2009-2010 he was president of Society of Government Economists. He is author of four other economics books.