| Description |
Mainstream economic science has a conservative and liberal disposition which overlooks contrasting schools of thought. This propensity, conceivably, would be reflected in the textbooks. Hence, the main objective of this dissertation is to study the ideological underpinnings of introductory economics textbooks. To make a case for ideological bias in the textbooks, 19 editions of Samuelson’s Economics, which is the regarded as the consensus textbook, are surveyed in a selective manner. It is assumed that if there is an overall ideological bias towards the left-wing economic thinking, then the bias would be more pronounced on the radical segments of the spectrum. Thus, the reading is focused on Samuelson’s treatment of Karl Marx, Marxism, socialism, and so on. Drawing from critical discourse analysis (CDA) literature, both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods are employed. Strong arguments are shown for the existence of ideological bias. Levels of biased treatment are analyzed during four time periods (1948â€"1970, 1973â€"1980, 1985â€"1992, and 1995â€"2010). Also, it is shown that Samuelson’s presentation of radical economic perspectives is very sensitive to the political context. |
