Most Bangladeshi economics schools no longer teach political science. Here's why they should
Without incorporating political science or more precisely, political economy into the curriculum, our future economists will at best have a tunnel vision of how and for whom the economy should function
Economics and political science have always been thoroughly intertwined in terms of their application. The state is in charge of solving economic issues, hence a stable government is a prerequisite for sustainable economic development. While the state, or the field of politics, determines the economic goals, political ideology determines the economic system that controls the lives of millions.
But despite the well-knitted accordance, political science and economics are quite opposite in how they are taught in universities
While economics at the undergraduate level, at least in my experience, is taught more like a positive science which attempts to explain various economic phenomena with calculated statistics, students are hardly taught to contextualise their knowledge of economic fundamentals in terms of what is fair or wrong.
Thorstein Veblen, a prominent economist from the Institutionalist school, raised a similar question regarding the fascination of mainstream economists about reaching the equilibrium, that economist Adam Smith, and his neoclassical successors believed in. Veblen asked whether the equilibrium these economists were so concerned about was indeed a good or desired outcome.
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Yes. Students indeed are taught the different strands starting from Smith's classical economics, Keynesian economics or Friedman's neoclassical economics. But they often do not learn the social and political order and contexts which motivated each of the strands.
This is where an understanding of political science can come in quite handy. As a discipline, political science is a bit more on the normative side. It dictates how states should work, how decisions should be taken to rule a community, how the rights and responsibilities should be distributed and how conflicts should be resolved.
And to inject a fruitful understanding of how economics can and should work, students should not only be taught how economies can and do function or how to achieve the most efficient outcomes but also which principles economic policies should adhere to.
Dr Ahrar Ahmed- professor emeritus, taught political science at Black Hills State University. He says, "The relationship between economics and politics has always been rather profound. This interconnection is being more glaringly demonstrated in the world today. Hence, it may be advisable for students to have the possibility of at least some exposure to both to have a fuller and deeper understanding of either."
In fact, without incorporating political science or more precisely, political economy into the curriculum, our future economists will at best have a tunnel vision of how the economy should look like.
Unfortunately for the past three years, the Political Science course is not being offered anymore in the Department of Economics, at the University of Dhaka, one of the country's top schools of economics. The University of Dhaka is not alone on the list, although, given the reputation of the department, the move is quite a significant one.
Interestingly, many other universities – both public and private including Chattogram University and Brac University - have been providing the course for years.
That being said, in many universities, these are optional courses, only enrolled by the students who in the future aspire to pursue multispectral study or because of the nature of human resources the universities intend to foster.
I, being a student of economics at the University of Dhaka, can say that the students of economics are missing out on the opportunity to learn about the state and democracy, which apparently should have been an integral part of what we study.
This is why a major chunk of the students and common people perceive democracy as mere majoritarianism. It is due to this fallacy certain groups believe democracy grants them the license to dictate the lifestyle of others.
While at the point where the nation where we see men standing with placards dictating the dress code for women, or in the national scenario democracy has been poised as opposed to development, or even religion, the nation is in dire need of academic political knowledge.
Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka alone produces more than 150 economic graduates every year who learn nothing about politics (as in political science, I believe they learn their share of politics in the residential halls) and democracy in their curriculum.
Unfortunately, most of these students will likely go on to hold significant positions in society, without any comprehensive, academic understanding of the grand science of political economy. And it remains to be seen how politically and socially informed their decisions as economists or policymakers will be.
The author is a post-graduate student of Economics at the University of Dhaka.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
