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I thought about the blog post by @claudia_sahm on the state of economics for a while. If you haven't read it yet, here it is: https://twitter.com/Claudia_Sahm/status/1288279714247913472. 1/
She describes an utterly broken culture she (and others) have encountered in economics. If you read it, you'll probably come to the conclusion that the last thing you would want your children to pursue in life is an academic career in economics. 2/
Now, I don't have any doubt that all this happened, as reported by Claudia. But I keep asking myself if the macro community is different. Or maybe if the culture of US PhD programs is different. Because if you'd ask me if the culture of economics over here in Europe is broken, 3/
I'd honestly have to respond from my experience: No, it isn't.
Obviously, I can't say anything about the specific problems of female economists, but as far as a generally toxic atmosphere of bullying, over-competitiveness and lack of support is concerned – 4/
Obviously, I can't say anything about the specific problems of female economists, but as far as a generally toxic atmosphere of bullying, over-competitiveness and lack of support is concerned – 4/
I haven't experienced anything like that.
That is within the continental European Chair system, where hierarchies formally still matter to a large extent. But maybe I've been extraordinarily lucky with the three bosses and four departments I've worked for as a PhD student 5/
That is within the continental European Chair system, where hierarchies formally still matter to a large extent. But maybe I've been extraordinarily lucky with the three bosses and four departments I've worked for as a PhD student 5/
and as a post-doc. That also extends to most colleagues, some of which I'm still friends with twenty years after we've worked together.
So, I wonder: Is life as an economist in the US much worse than in Europe? Or is it a difference between fields? 6/
So, I wonder: Is life as an economist in the US much worse than in Europe? Or is it a difference between fields? 6/
As tough as discussions may become, I've never experienced a toxic seminar or conference atmosphere in public finance and public choice. On the contrary, the annual conferences of @theEPCS, for example, usually draw a genuinely interested, supportive crowd. 7/
Is economics perfect? Of course not. In any field, you'll meet the occasional arsehole. And there are structural problems. Over here in Germany, the fact that there are many more post-doc positions than tenured positions can put a significant psychological burden on post-docs. 8/
To be honest, I find it laudable how supportive and cooperative people are on that career stage, even if they know in the back of their minds that they are competing with each other for these very scarce tenured positions. 9/
So, is economics broken? I don't think so. At least over here in Europe, I would still encourage any talented Master student to pursue a PhD, and any talented PhD to become a post-doc, if they are robust enough to deal with the structural pressures of academia. 10/
Economics is fun to do. And I don't think there are more idiots and sociopaths here, than in any other field. That said, we should of course try to improve what is unacceptable, and I suppose Claudia's blog post gives an indication where we could start. 11/11
