HETERODOX ECONOMICS INFORMATIONAL DIRECTORY

The initial impetus for producing the Informational Directory for Heterodox Economists in 2004 was to bring together the community of heterodox economists that was dispersed, far-flung, and segmented. Four years later the community is significantly more cohesive, but the information contained in the Directory is still quite useful for heterodox economists; hence this new edition.  As noted in the first edition, the future of heterodox economics depends on graduate programs since this is where future heterodox economists are trained and developed.    Thus it is vitally important to know which graduate programs around the world produce heterodox economists in order to direct interested undergraduates to them as well as to hire their graduates.  From the first edition onward the number of such programs has increased from 22 to 31 to 36.  On the other hand, many heterodox economists teach in departments that only have undergraduate programs in economics.  Identifying these departments where heterodox economics has a role in the undergraduate economics program are important for two reasons.  The first is that they do provide important and significant support for the development of heterodox economics and the community of heterodox economists.  Without these departments, heterodox economics would be much worse off if indeed it existed at all.  Secondly, since these departments provide a friendly and supportive environment in which one can engage in teaching and doing research on heterodox economics, it is important that all young and old heterodox economists know of their existence.  In short, departments with just undergraduate programs in economics are just as differently important as the departments with graduate programs.  The first edition of the Directory did not include undergraduate departments, but the second edition did—47 of them; and in this edition 51 are listed.

It is through journal, books, and other publications that the ideas and arguments of the various heterodox approaches are articulated, developed, and popularized.  In the first edition 84 journals and by this edition the number has increased to 124.  Heterodox associations, organizations, and research institutes also use e-based newsletters to make their activities better and more widely known and accessible.  Although e-based newsletters have existed for many years, this category of publication, with ten entries, appears for the first time in this edition of the Directory. Moreover, thirteen heterodox book series were listed in the first edition and by this edition the number has increased to 24 respectively.  Book series are associated with publishers and publishers that take a particular interest in publishing books on heterodox economics and of interest to heterodox economists may not have heterodox book series per se.  Therefore a new category is introduced, that of publishers, which has 31 entries. 

The web provides the opportunity to make information available to all heterodox economists easily.  In the previous editions of the Directory, use of web-linked material was limited the Heterodox Economics Website (http://www.orgs.bucknell.edu/afee/hetecon.htm).  Since web-based information relevant to heterodox economists is so massive, the Directory can no longer ignore it.  Therefore it has included three new categories:  heterodox associations which has 33 entries with (except for two) their web links; heterodox/progressive blogs with six entries; and institutes and other websites with 55 entries. 

When the previous editions of the Directory were published, I received numerous communications pointing out various omissions, one being a brief overview of heterodox economics.  This is now corrected with an introductory chapter on heterodox economics.  Still, there will be omissions that need redressing.  So if you have any suggestions of how to improve it or of material that should be included, please e-mail me at leefs@umkc.edu.

The production of the third edition of the Directory is made possible through the collective contributions from heterodox economists around the world and through the financial support from Charles Leopold Mayer Foundation for the Progress of Humankind (http://www.fph.ch).