Summary
Each year, the British Academy takes one of its disciplines and examines its health, and how it is taught, researched, and used by government, industry, charities, and wider society. Our aim is to capture the mood at the top of the discipline, offering time and space for critical reflection.
The Reflections on Economics series is brought together in a summary publication authored by President of the British Academy Lord Nicholas Stern, Timothy Besley FBA, London School of Economics and Lord Gus O'Donnell Hon FBA.
The summary publication follows on from a series of wide-ranging forums held over 2014/15 for careful examination of, and reflection on, the subject of economics.
These forums brought together academic and professional economists, economic historians, politicians, policy makers and business people and discussed questions such as:
- What are the weaknesses in knowledge and understanding that should be examined?
- What is the relationship between different areas of economics and the policy questions being asked and decisions being made? Does government ignore or misuse the advice of economists?
- Do economists have valuable advice to give?