College courses in economics have historically been a bedrock of academic preparation for a successful career in business. But now economic departments in many institutions of higher learning are coming under scrutiny for what some allege is an endemic culture of harassment and intimidation.
Hundreds of graduate students and research assistants from Yale and other institutions nationwide have signed “An Open Letter Regarding Harassment and Discrimination in the Economics Profession,” which includes suggestions for improving the internal culture of economics departments at the university level.
According to the Yale Daily News, the letter was drafted in the wake of the resignation of Harvard economist Roland G. Fryer Jr. from the executive committee of the American Economic Association (AEA). Fryer had been elected to the 2019 committee earlier last fall.
This was after Fryer had become the subject of a Title IX investigation last spring, but before he was named the subject of a second investigation in December, according to the Harvard Crimson.
Fryer stepped down from the position last month after an internal Harvard investigation found him guilty of creating a “hostile and sexualized work environment,” according to the letter. Fryer has denied any wrongdoing.
The letter, authored by a group of graduate students and research assistants, provided three suggestions for improving the climate within academic economics departments for those who work and study there, according to YDN.
They include: “Listen to us,” “Create, communicate and enforce department-level standards of conduct” and “Implement a discipline-wide reporting system to document bad behavior.”
Although no Yale students or affiliates had publicly signed their names onto the petition, the university’s name appeared in a list at the end of the letter, indicating that there were members of the community who chose to sign anonymously, according to the YDN. As of last Monday, the letter had received more than 400 signatures.
The AEA is a professional association for economists in academia, government and the private sector, according to its website. Numerous Nobel laureates in economics are numbered among its past officers.
Contact Michael C. Bingham at news@newhavenbiz.com
