The Economics Program at Bard College is the social science that inquires into “the nature and causes of the wealth of nations” (Adam Smith). The principal aim of an economics program in the liberal arts is not to train students in how to manage a business or maximize the value of an investment portfolio, but to show how alternative economic systems arise, why they succeed, and why they fail. Because issues of public policy invariably have an economic dimension, all informed citizens should be familiar with basic economic principles. The Economics Program offers several courses of general interest at the 100 level (no prerequisites) and courses of special interest to students concentrating in political studies, historical studies, sociology, philosophy, American studies, or community, regional, and environmental studies.

Economists for Full Employment (EFE) is an independent group of economists working toward building a global network of academics, research institutions, policy advisors, advocates and members of government committed to the realization of the right to work and policies that promote full employment. EFE believes that having access to productive work is a strong and contributing factor to a just, equitable, and humane economic development path, and that job creation must become the highest economic and social priority. Furthermore, EFE considers that the primary responsibility for guaranteeing a job and steering the economy in a socially inclusive direction rests with the state. Toward this end, economists from research and policy institutes have spearheaded this initiative and created a website, with support provided by the International Labour Organization (Employment Intensive Investment Programme).

For more information about the network and on how to join as a member, please visit www.economistsforfullemployment.org.

Economists for Peace and Security (EPS) is an independent not-for-profit organization housed at the Levy Institute. EPS is an international network of economists with affiliates in 17 countries. Its board of trustees seats 11 Nobel Laureates, two former Cabinet secretaries, and a president of a Federal Reserve Bank. Another four Nobel Laureates were trustees before their deaths. Worldwide membership is about 1,000, mostly academic economists, but increasingly, concerned citizens, members of the media, staff of other NGOs, and government representatives. EPS is accredited with special consultative status by the Department of Public Information and the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. This combination creates great potential for influence from a global vantage.

Since 1989, EPS, with the support of members, has been the voice for economists on issues of war, armaments, and conflict reduction, serving as a clearinghouse for research on these issues. The organization works to inform social scientists, citizens, journalists, and policymakers about the full costs of war and conflict, and to propose feasible alternative approaches to building international security.

Please visit the EPS website (www.epsusa.org) or e-mail Executive Director Thea Harvey (theaharvey@epsusa.org) for more information.

The International Working Group on Gender, Macroeconomics, and International Economics (GEM-IWG) is an international network of economists that was formed in 1994 for the purpose of promoting research, teaching, policymaking, and advocacy on gender-equitable approaches to macroeconomics, international economics, and globalization.

GEM-IWG promotes the sharing of knowledge in regions across the globe, organized into five regional groups, as well as on specific subjects, organized into nine thematic groups. These groups are composed of fellows, instructors, and participants from the organization’s summer courses and conferences. The Program on Knowledge Networking and Capacity Building on Gender, Macroeconomics, and International Economics, inaugurated in summer 2003, is designed to strengthen the intellectual links among practitioners in networks working on similar issues, and is intended primarily for economists. The program consists of a self-study module and an intensive two-week course, followed by an international conference.