Making microeconomics less ideological

The standard introductory course in microeconomics presents a sophisticated set of tools for understanding the dynamics of markets, which are of central importance in all contemporary societies. Unfortunately, most textbooks for this course inadequately address, and frequently distort, the following six issues critical to students’ understanding of economic society: the nature of work and its relation to utility; social interdependence in decision-making; economic growth as the principal objective of modern socio-economic systems; the overall importance of market externalities; the pervasiveness of market power and its impact on consumers; and the relationship between property rights and economic justice. The outcome is that students are often left with the impression that unfettered markets necessarily deliver economic efficiency and just outcomes, resulting in a pedagogy that serves as ideology, legitimating prevailing and unequal social conditions. This article is intended to highlight these ideological aspects of the standard microeconomics curriculum and to offer professors some relatively simple strategies for addressing these issues without the need to significantly alter the curriculum.