Julio is absolutely correct. The URPE sessions at the economics meetings look like a geriatric society -- relatively few young people & most of them seem to come from outside the US.
Of course, it is difficult to generate student interest in left economists if there are no left teachers.
On Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 11:13:36AM -0400, Julio Huato wrote:
> On Saturday, before I bumped onto this thread on the archives, I spent
> the afternoon at a URPE party in Long Island. They told me that, when
> URPE was founded back in 1968, the economists had a much greater
> presence in the membership. Apparently, nowadays, the share of
> economists is significantly lower. Michael Perelman could correct me
> if I'm wrong, but I'm under the impression that the economists posting
> on PEN-L have also become a smaller share compared to when PEN-L was
> started. I guess the preferred explanation is that the economists
> have shifted massively towards the right. My conjecture is that the
> left has also shifted away from engagement with the economists.
>
> These are questions I often ask myself:
>
> How can we get larger groups of young people with the heart in the
> right place (that is, with a strong, passionate commitment to the
> interest of working people, discontent with the status quo, for social
> change), to seriously and critically study math and modern economics?
> How can we help them in their pursuit?
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-- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929
Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu michaelperelman.wordpress.com