I've just finished teaching intermediate micro for the first time and Evan's comments really struck a chord -- I used a book that seemed more fair-minded than most, but which still has pockets of the most appalling right-wing swill, like arguments against workplace safety regulation. I agree that more and better materials are needed on heterodox economics but I also think that we need better material on the *orthodox* theory. Why? Because most existing texts on standard micro and macro are exercises in sweeping assumptions under the rug, and tend to be analytically weak even in areas where they would not need difficult math to explain things well. Try and find a macro text that does a decent job on adjustment in an IS-LM framework. Many of us end up writing up handouts for students that do the mechanics properly. Furthermore in the current situation most of us are in the position of using the least noxious mainstream text and then trying to build in additional readings around it, so the heterodox stuff is always 2nd fiddle, in part because we can't expect students to spend much more after shelling out $60 or more for the main text. So here's a rather non-modest, long-term, proposal: Eric Nilsson has begun work on making heterodox teaching materials available online. Perhaps he might set up a category for material on orthodox economics that is critical, or even just clear. Between us all, over some time, we could put together the equivalent of a text in orthodox theory that would be better than what's out there, flexible in that people could select what they need, and above all FREE, so that it could be reproduced in course packets to take care of whatever neoclassical stuff needs to be covered, at minimal cost to students. Best, Colin
