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Fall 2010

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 26, Number 1

Categories: Education | Fall 2010

Effective Communication in Economics: Lessons from Peter Boettke

Christine Polek, The Brattle Group

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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise26(1),2010,39-46EffectiveCommunicationinEconomics:LessonsfromPeterBoettkeChristinePolek�TheBrattleGroupAbstractDeidreMcCloskey’s(1983,1986)critiqueofeconomicrhetoricexposesthediscipline’smoderndaystrugglewitheffectivecommunication.ThisarticleexaminestheMcCloskeycritiqueasitappliestoacademia,andhighlightsthevalueofintegratingrelatablestoriesintoeconomicdiscourse.TheeconomicdialogueledbyPeterBoettke,aprofessorandpromoterofeconomicideas,isusedtodemonstratetheimpactthateffectivecommunicationcanhaveonpeersandfollowers.JELCodes:B31,B41,A19Keywords:Socialchange;Academicstrategy;Teachingofeconomics;RhetoricI.IntroductionEconomicsisdubbedthe“dismalscience,”1andhasareputationofbeingaboringsubjectmasteredandtaughtbyboringpeople.McCloskey(1983)writes,“economicsismisunderstoodand,whenregardedatall,dislikedbybothhumanistsandscientists.”Toremedythis,McCloskeyrecommendsthateconomistsimprovetheirrhetoric,howthey“explorethoughtthroughconversation,”highlightingtheimportanceofanalogies,metaphors,parables,andstories.Theimportanceofdelivery,language,andstyleingaininganaudienceforeconomicideasisdemonstratedbytherecentsuccessofFreakonomics(LevittandDubner,2005),awidelyreadnon-fictionbookfilledwitheconomicanecdotes.FreakonomicspeakedatnumbertwoamongnonfictionontheNewYorkTimesbestsellerlist,andafilmversionisintheworks(Freakonomics,2010).ThebookpresentstheacademicresearchofStevenD.Levitt,achairedprofessorofeconomicsattheUniversityofChicago.Itspopularityamongnon-economists,�TheauthorthanksEdwardStringhamforhelpfulcommentsandsuggestions.1SeeLevyandPeart(2001)foradiscussionoftheterm“dismalscience.”39

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Metadata [hide]

Title	Effective Communication in Economics: Lessons from Peter Boettke
Authors/Creators:	Christine Polek, The Brattle Group
Year:	2010
Volume:	26
Number:	1
Pages:	39 - 46
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	Rhetoric, Economic Education, Economic communication, Boettke, Economic theory, Writing, Literature

Citation:
Polek, Christine / 2010. "Effective Communication in Economics: Lessons from Peter Boettke." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 26(1): 39-46.