Teaching economics in a management school: Some personal quandaries

Abstract

The paper looks into the issue of the relationship between economics and management studies in a management school. Instead of attempting any grand view, the paper seeks to look into three distinct questions viz.,: (a) usefulness of learning economics in a management school; (b) utility of case studies as a pedagogical devise in the study of economics; and (c) relationship between finance and economics as distinct disciplines. The broad inferences of the paper are the following. First, while learning economics would be of use to a student of management as a background, its usage and application need not be exaggerated in the sense that knowledge and running of a corporation are quite different from knowledge/running of the whole economy. Second, while traditionally economics is taught in a deductive manner, usage of case studies to teach economics could be worthwhile in a management school. Third, despite the close links/parentage, finance as discipline has been able to establish its adulthood from economics; however, the recent disjoint between finance and economics have turned costly for both to the disciplines.