The State of Economics*

This article summarises the state of the economics discipline in Australia. It looks at who studies economics, the nature of the pipeline of economics graduates, the extent to which economic skills are rewarded by the labour market and indicators of economic literacy in society. It highlights the falling size and diversity of the economics student population and discusses its implications. In contrast to the current state of economics, it notes that a robust and inclusive discipline can raise economic literacy, shape the future of economic thought and practice, and improve the quality of both public discourse and public policy.