Economics indicators

In seeking explanations for the difficulty in recruiting good British economists into universities and for the declining numbers of British students taking doctoral degrees in economics, Ron Amann ("Hard times for dismal science", THES, 26 March) "believes there are fundamental problems with economics as a discipline". Specifically, "the field is becoming very technical, theoretical and disconnected from evidence. Analysis of statistical data sets is favoured over the grind of original fieldwork."

If Amann were himself a little less disconnected from the evidence and prepared to analyse statistical data, he might discover some interesting facts. At the undergraduate level, economics is now the most popular major at the Ivy League universities in the United States. Much of the apparent decline in undergraduate economics in Britain is simply a relabelling; business studies courses teach economics, whether students know it or not. Numbers of overseas students taking doctoral degrees in economics at British universities have held up well. Numbers of both British and overseas students taking masters degrees in economics at British universities have also held up well. Those British masters students become professional economists in attractive and well-paid jobs outside universities.

This evidence does not suggest that fundamental problems with economics as a discipline make it unattractive to students. It does suggest that few British students take doctoral degrees in economics because the opportunities it opens up (primarily becoming an academic) are less attractive than the jobs economists can find elsewhere. British universities are simply not offering attractive enough jobs to young economists.

J. M. Malcomson Professor of economics University of Oxford

C. Propper Professor of economics University of Bristol

S. Machin Professor of economics University College London

A. J. Oswald Professor of economics University of Warwick