Economics Graduate Programs with a Marxian focus

[cantwealljustgetalong]

hey all,

I'm trying to figure out what the fuck to do with my life, and I was thinking of devoting it to Marxian economics. I'd like to find a graduate program that focuses on Marxian economics. I've found a couple of resources about this, but not much.

http://ask.metafilter.com/180149/Specifically-Marxist-Macroeconomics-Graduate-Programs-in-the-US
http://www.open.ac.uk/socialsciences/hetecon/schools.htm - this list doesn't distinguish between schools that touch on Marx every so often and those with a more serious Marxian focus.

thanks for the help in advance.

[TheRedAnarchist23]

Funny how marxian sounds like martian...


I'm trying to figure out what the fuck to do with my life, and I was thinking of devoting it to Marxian economics.

Is that going to get you a job?

[cantwealljustgetalong]

Is that going to get you a job?

ololololololol

anyone else?

[Yuppie Grinder]

just study some other economics and become a successful financier

[Questionable]

just study some other economics and become a successful financier

This, and then when a crisis happens you can talk about how surprised you are and that Marx was right all along.

[The Jay]

Try UMass Amherst.

[Prof. Oblivion]

ololololololol

anyone else?

That was a good question. The chances of getting an academic post in Marxian economics is extremely, extremely slim. So what will you do to support yourself?

If you're in the US, at least, college should be about getting a job, because nowadays it's simply too expensive to pursue your "interests" and going into academia is extremely expensive for a very unlikely position.

[RedMaterialist]

You can probably find a school with a Marxist economics program; however, you better get another degree with it so you can have some kind of income. Unless, of course, you happen to have a rich friend who can pay your rent while you write the next Das Kapital. Good luck.

[Jack]

ololololololol

anyone else?

I'm just going to go ahead and tell you to double major in some other form of economics/something else so you can actually make money.

Good money too.

[GoddessCleoLover]

Hate to join the chorus of negativity, but the sad reality is that Marxian economics may be our avocation but is unlikely to become a vocation for anyone in the USA these days.:(

[cantwealljustgetalong]

I do appreciate the concern and everything, but it seems pretty obvious to me that Marxian economics isn't a profitable field. something about profit being the crystallized embodiment of surplus labor. :rolleyes:

anyway, thanks Emmanuel Goldstein.

[keystone]

there are a number of factors to take into account when talking about this. are you an undergrad major in economics? if so, have you done research, worked for a professor, or gotten anything published in the field? besides in interest in "marxist economics" do you have a proposal for a dissertation topic?

the search is not so much for schools as it is for individual faculty members you would want to do your research under as a phd advisor. your work and research interests should line up with what this faculty member is into. for instance, you might like the work of someone like minqi li, a professor of economics at the university of utah, and apply to the phd program there to work under him doing research and developing your own thesis.

i'm not really super knowledgeable about how academia works. if this is something you want to pursue you may want to ask professors at your university how to get into the field, as well as subtly feel out if they would be recommenders for you in your phd applications.

the job aspect is real though, as phds in most disciplines (especially humanities and social sciences like economics) have a very hard time finding jobs in the united states. in many cases you might only be able to find part-time work as an adjunct instructor at a community college. tenure-track positions are few and far between.

if you just have an interest in marxist economics, get a subscription to monthly review and get together with friends to talk about it over beers. no reason to become a professor. you can write and research in your spare time no matter what job you have.

however, if you see this as a strategy to be able to organize on campuses and have a platform to reach students who might be radicalized, there is a basis for pursuing the option more seriously. this is not the only way to do this, though.

[LeonJWilliams]

A lot of people have mentioned this or that in the US, one question are you American living in the US?

Just that I noticed you linked to the Open University from the UK. I have studied at the OU before and can recommend it, they have some good grants available too if you need help with costs.

When you study economics you don't specifically study capitalist economics or Marxist etc (having said that there is a bent on how the current economical system works).

You learn about economics and providing you can back up your arguments (fundamentally that capitalist economics and the market don't work and that theoretically a Marxist one would work better etc) you can easily pass the course. When it comes to getting a job no-one says "oh it seems here most of your answers were about the flaws with capitalism and how great a Marxist economy would work, get out commie!" They will just see BA (hons) 2:1 etc

[Lynx]

Google Richard Wolff. If you want to follow in his footsteps, write him.

[Prof. Oblivion]

You learn about economics and providing you can back up your arguments (fundamentally that capitalist economics and the market don't work and that theoretically a Marxist one would work better etc) you can easily pass the course. When it comes to getting a job no-one says "oh it seems here most of your answers were about the flaws with capitalism and how great a Marxist economy would work, get out commie!" They will just see BA (hons) 2:1 etc

Yes but what kind of job would this be?

[LeonJWilliams]

Yes but what kind of job would this be?

As the original poster mentioned the Open University I will lift the information from their site:

Career relevance and employability

A degree in politics philosophy and economics is internationally recognised as providing a set of quantitative and conceptual skills particularly relevant for many areas of public service, including civil and diplomatic services and local government. You’ll develop skills enabling you to express your ideas clearly and logically; understand and analyse complex information; and study independently. This degree course is also good preparation for a wide variety of other careers, including banking and finance, politics, journalism and broadcasting, law, industry, teaching, social work, accountancy, business management, management consultancy and advertising.

As well as knowledge of politics, philosophy and economics, you’ll develop valuable skills for employment which include:
using a range of communication technologies to independently research, select and present information
analysing and critically evaluating information and data
writing and communicating concisely and clearly
assembling reasoned arguments for particular audiences
using a range of formats: essays, presentations, reports, collaborative working, online forums
reflecting on your own learning and developing strategies to update your knowledge
valuing critical feedback to reflect on progress and improve your work
working under your own steam and without constant direction.

There’s more information about how OU study can improve your employability in the OU’s Employability Statement from our Careers Advisory Service. You can also read or download our publication OU study and your career and look at our subject pages to find out about career opportunities.

Aside from that I know from personal experience that many companies will employ people that have a university degree irrespective of what that degree is or what level was achieved.
A company I used to work for in London would employ administrators who have a degree but didn't care what degree as they thought that purely having a degree showed that the person was dedicated and would have a reasonable amount of social and analytical skills.
Also you can be an English language teacher in pretty much any country in the world if you have a degree (again doesn't matter in which subject).

Obviously if you want a much better job then you need to continue studying a masters degree in the subject would be good, in the UK it sets you up very well for a job in any city council.

[Prof. Oblivion]

My question was for the OP. What kind of econ job does he want?

[LeonJWilliams]

My question was for the OP. What kind of econ job does he want?

Your question was for the other person but you quoted me? :glare:

[Prof. Oblivion]

Apparently that's exactly what I did. :confused:

[thethinveil]

Try Japan or overseas programs. Japan's economics departments are Marxists. It was almost universally marxist until twenty years ago. There is also the New School in New York that also teaches marxist economics. I have been seeing work out of the University of Utah. University of Amherst has Richard Wolf, who others have mentioned. But definitely overseas is the place to go if you want to learn about political economy from a marxist perspective.

[thethinveil]

I also like the History of Consciousness grad program at University of Santa Cruz which is where a variety of disciplines come together to examine things from a marxist perspective and others. Angela Davis, Barbara Ehrenreich are two who teach there among other socialists. A friend of mine is getting her Phd in history of consciousness. But I don't imagine it will be any easier for her to find a job.

[cyu]

If you want to devote your life to leftist economics, by all means. However, I would *not* recommend actually getting a job that has anything to do with the study of economics. If your survival depends on your academic / research output, then you've attached unnecessary strings to what you truly love. Especially if you get respect, people will try to manipulate your output. They may say, well, your grant for so-and-so has just been denied, but... then your entire direction may be compromised. We all know who controls the purse strings in capitalist society.

Don't be left in a position where someone can say, "We don't like your academic output; therefore, you're about to lose your home." Better if you can say, "They don't like what I have to say? F**k 'em, I still got my job at the Swiss Patent Office."

[cantwealljustgetalong]

I honestly want to study it just to study it. I might try for a job as a professor, as an author/public intellectual, or whatever else I can do that will let me work on theory and practice. That some posters are hung up on the job and careerism isn't surprising, although its quite a bit funny to see it on revleft.

I've been in contact with Richard Wolff and Andrew Kliman and they basically alerted me to the rough academic environment for Marxists and that while there are specifically Marxist programs (York University has a political economy program that is basically Marxist), it's best to find a good professor and try to get taken under their wing.

Thanks for the input, everyone.