A Passing of an Important Economic Torch at Harvard But to Whom?

After more than a decade, the Keynesian, apologist for the state, economics professor N. Gregory Mankiw announced in an email to graduate students this past week that he will step down from teaching Economics 10: “Principles of Economics” at the end of this semester, reports The Harvard Crimson.

The introductory economics course is one of Harvard’s largest attended courses.

Both the fall and spring iterations of the course consistently rank among the College’s most popular offerings, coming in at 585 students and the College’s top-enrolled class this spring, according to The Crimson.

Mankiw wrote in an email to university paper that he chose to step back from Ec 10 to pursue “new pedagogical challenges.” He also wrote that he plans to take a sabbatical next year and return to teach in 2020.

“After 14 years as ec 10 course head, as well as one year long ago as a section leader, I decided it was time to pass the baton,” he wrote. “Teaching ec 10 has been a wonderful experience, but I am looking forward to new pedagogical challenges.”


“Looking ahead, I would like to have smaller discussion-based classes, such as the freshman seminar I have been teaching,” he added.

Mankiw wrote in his email that he told Economics Chair Jeremy C. Stein and Director of Undergraduate Studies Jeffrey A. Miron he intended to leave Ec 10 around a month ago.

Miron wrote in an email to the paper that the committee is working “in consultation with the appropriate Deans” to choose a new head and hopes to make a selection “within a few weeks.”

Miron is also the libertarian-leaning director of economic studies at the Cato Institute, so let's see how much power and willingness he has to put a free-market oriented professor in the key spot rather than another textbook hustling apologist for the state.

-RW