<p>I’m looking for good undergraduate business or economic programs that are willing to push the limits, particularly in regards to sustainable economic practices, as opposed to the more traditional “this is the way things work now” approach. Make sense? If not, please ask me to clarify. Any help would be wonderful. Thanks.</p>
<p>Do you mean a program that teaches a policy-oriented view of economics or are you thinking of a program that encourages novel ideas? What about a school with more discussion?</p>
<p>Have you ever taken an econ program before?</p>
<p>You are not going to be pushing the limits as a freshman in college. That comes along once you are in a PhD program or during your senior year in the form of research.</p>
<p>Thanks for your replies. </p>
<p>Yes, red sox, I have taken an econ class.</p>
<p>A Program that both encourages novel ideas and has discussion would be wonderful. I’m looking for an undergraduate program that won’t tell me “This is the way the world works, period.” Something more along the lines of “This is the way the world works now, but this (a world in which the economy is beneficial to the environment and visa versa) is theoretically possible. Let’s see how we might be able to get there.” </p>
<p>In short, I want to be challenged to think.</p>
<p>Thanks for your time guys.</p>
<p>hmm, maybe you should consider Claremont Mckinna. It is part of a 5 school consortium, has a very strong economics program that can be combined with other concentrations such as accounting, and is in a terrific area.</p>
<p>I am sure that MIT and Princeton has an amazing economics program. There are lots of good choices.</p>
<p>The University of Chicago has been known to encourage unorthodox thinking (this is especially true for their economics program).The professors there are also some of the most innovative thinkers in economics. However, you will be competing for the professor’s time more so than at a LAC like Amherst (that is not to suggest that you won’t receive individual attention at Chicago). To address your other question, while avoiding becoming too political, the economy is not necessarily bad for the environment. In some ways, parts of the market economy encourage resources to be maximized and not wasted. However, pollution can rear its ugly head in the absence of market-based incentives. I would look into Coase (from U-Chicago) who wrote on the topic of externalities and high transaction costs. Any good economics program will challenge you to think. However, you must be aware that you will likely not have a strong enough mathematical or economics background as a freshmen undergraduate to really push the boundaries of economics. Even Keynes and Friedman had to study economics for a time before they could revolutionize the field. I would also note that a good economics program will not focus on how things are as much as how to analyze issues. I hope this has helped answer your question.</p>