Disclaimer
This series presently focuses on the macro and social aspects of economics. Floor is open and I encourage you to start/organize discussions of your interest.
Primer & Motivation
Why are some countries poor and some countries rich? Some will intuitively answer legacy of and what is today neo-colonialism, and the basic Solow model seems to suggest conclude it is due to a difference in human capital stock. A more social analysis would view basic Solow’s inability to recognize our shared history as an axis of a overlocking system of power/knowledge that prevents the betterment of “poor” countries. The organizer is of the opinion truth is complicated and may not be achievable solely within the toolkits of Economics. This reading group is an attempt to bridge that gap. “Economic intuition”, after all, must be based on something – may we all be aware of that thing.
Presently, I have 3 themes/motifs in mind. Please find them below:
ECONOMICS x US/THEM
Notes from a Trip to Russia, Audry Lorde
Audrey Lorde was a writer, poet, and civil rights activist. I hope to use this text as a departure point to examine the assumptions we bring into our field for the simple fact that we have been living in Canada for the past little while.
ECONOMICS x AFRICA
(select chapters) Black reconstruction in America, W E B du bois
W E B Du Bois was a sociologist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. I hope to use this text as a precision on the “poor countries” we keep mentioning in Economics. I think Pan-african sociologists would look at us weird.
ECONOMICS x LIBERATION
TBD
Black Panther Party (BPP) was a black power political and militant organization. They assumed social services and tried to create a parallel economy within the “stable 2% growth”. I wish to problematize the grand-historical narrative of “2% trend growth” by zooming in on BPP.
If you are interested in joining the reading group, please email [email protected]. Tentatively, I hope to have the first meeting in late october and thereafter one meeting every month.