CORE Econ: Rewriting Econ 101 for the Real World (with Suresh Naidu and Wendy Carlin)

Dec 2, 2025

Wendy Carlin, a Professor at University College London and director of the CORE project, teams up with Suresh Naidu, a Columbia University economist, to transform how we learn economics. They discuss the failures of traditional curricula post-2008 crisis and highlight their problem-driven approach that addresses inequality, climate change, and innovation. Students engaged with CORE's methods show more interest and understanding compared to standard textbooks. Their passionate insights challenge the outdated economic perspectives taught in many classrooms.

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INSIGHT

Classroom Rewrites Can Change The World

The 2008–09 financial crisis exposed failures in how economics was taught and prompted CORE's creation.
Wendy Carlin argues classroom rewrites can reshape public understanding and policy like post‑Depression Keynesian shifts.

INSIGHT

Bring Intro Courses Up To Research Standards

CORE updates intro economics to reflect modern research and messy real markets instead of just supply‑and‑demand cartoons.
Suresh Naidu emphasizes empirical, applied methods and contemporary topics missing from traditional texts.

ANECDOTE

Students Question Orthodox Micro Quickly

Suresh Naidu recounts students asking if he was a Republican three weeks into teaching standard micro.
The reaction reflected how orthodox intro framed markets as always efficient, alienating students.

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Econ 101 shapes how millions of people understand the economy—but what if the textbooks are teaching a worldview that’s outdated, oversimplified, and in some cases flat-out wrong?

This week, Nick and Goldy talk with economists Wendy Carlin and Suresh Naidu, leaders of CORE Econ, the global project rewriting introductory economics to reflect the real world. They explain why the old curriculum failed during the 2008 financial crisis, how CORE foregrounds issues students actually care about—inequality, climate change, and the future of work—and why teaching economics without talking about innovation or power is like teaching physics without gravity.

If you’ve ever walked out of an Econ 101 class thinking, “That can’t be how the economy really works,” this episode is your vindication—and your alternative.

Suresh Naidu is a professor of economics and international and public affairs at Columbia University, known for his work on labor markets, political economy, and power in the economy. He is a key contributor to CORE Econ, helping shape its emphasis on real-world data, inequality, and institutions.

Wendy Carlin is a professor of economics at University College London and one of the world’s leading experts in economic education and the future of macroeconomic policy. She is the co-founder and director of CORE Econ, the global curriculum reform project now used in universities across more than 60 countries.

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@columbia_econ