Political Economy Now!: The Struggle for Alternative Economics at the University of Sydney

Political Economy Now! is the story of one of the most
substantial and enduring conflicts in the history of Australian
universities. Beginning in the late 1960s, it pitted those committed to
the teaching of mainstream economics at the University of Sydney against
the proponents of an alternative program in political economy. The
dispute continued for decades until a Department of Political Economy
was established in the Faculty of Arts in 2008.

Why all the fuss over the teaching of economics? Why were the
disagreements so deep and protracted? What has been at stake? Why did
dissident staff and students commit so much time and energy to
establishing and developing alternative courses and administrative
arrangements?

The dispute involved substantial differences of opinion about the
nature of the curriculum, the style of teaching, and the structures of
power and decision making. Although locally focused at the University of
Sydney and at its most intense during the 1970s and 1980s, the dispute
also has wider implications for how we understand the economic system
and the role of economic policy. It reflects a broader tension in
Australian society about what economic arrangements best serve social
needs.

The story of the struggle for alternative economics told from the
political economists’ perspective weaves together a general historical
narrative with illustrations and interpretations of the causes and
consequences of the conflict, and personal recollections of eleven
former student activists, all now in significant professional positions.

Political Economy Now! is a fascinating read for those
concerned about how a discipline of great social and political
significance is understood and taught to its would-be practitioners.