IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/che/ireepp/v5y2006i1p60-72.html

Top-down, middle-out, and bottom-up processes: A cognitive perspective of teaching and learning economics

Author

Listed:
  • Ling-po Shiu

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Chor-yiu Sin

    (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Abstract

The pedagogical value of graphical representations and analyses (GR and GA) in economics education is examined in a framework of top-down and bottom-up processes of thinking. We argue, with the support of two illustrative examples, that they are useful to the extent that they provide bridges between economic theories and facts. We also note that over-reliance on GR and GA may lead to misconceptions on the students' part. Hence, the challenge for educators and students of economics is to connect GR and GA upwardly with theories and downwardly with the empirical world.

Suggested Citation

  • Ling-po Shiu & Chor-yiu Sin, 2006. "Top-down, middle-out, and bottom-up processes: A cognitive perspective of teaching and learning economics," International Review of Economic Education, Economics Network, University of Bristol, vol. 5(1), pages 60-72.
    • Handle: RePEc:che:ireepp:v:5:y:2006:i:1:p:60-72
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/iree/v5n1/shiu.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alan B. Krueger, 2001. "Teaching the Minimum Wage in Econ 101 in Light of the New Economics of the Minimum Wage," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 243-258, January.
    2. Kayaalp, Orhan, 1993. "Economic text and acquisition of economic literacy: There is a cognitive remedy," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 295-301.
    3. Alan B. Krueger & David Card, 2000. "Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast-Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania: Reply," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(5), pages 1397-1420, December.
    4. William Wascher & David Neumark, 2000. "Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast-Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania: Comment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(5), pages 1362-1396, December.
    5. Card, David & Krueger, Alan B, 1994. "Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast-Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(4), pages 772-793, September.
    6. Dennis Yanchus & Xavier de Vanssay, 2003. "The Myth of Fair Prices: A Graphical Analysis," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(3), pages 235-240, January.
    7. David L. Dickinson, 2003. "Illustrated Examples of the Effects of Risk Preferences and Expectations on Bargaining Outcomes," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(2), pages 169-180, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Derk Bienen, 2002. "Mindestlohnreformen in Südamerika – ökonomische Rechtfertigung und praktische Umsetzung," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 090, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
    2. Mark B. Stewart, 2004. "The Impact of the Introduction of the U.K. Minimum Wage on the Employment Probabilities of Low-Wage Workers," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 2(1), pages 67-97, March.
    3. Lemos Sara, 2005. "Political Variables as Instruments for the Minimum Wage," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 4(1), pages 1-31, December.
    4. Shirley, Peter, 2018. "The response of commuting patterns to cross-border policy differentials: Evidence from the American Community Survey," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-16.
    5. Goto, Hideaki, "undated". "Labor Market Competitiveness and Poverty," Working Papers 51159, Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management.
    6. William E. Even & David A. Macpherson, 2014. "The Effect of the Tipped Minimum Wage on Employees in the U.S. Restaurant Industry," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 80(3), pages 633-655, January.
    7. Sara Lemos, 2004. "A Menu of Minimum Wage Variables for Evaluating Wages and Employment Effects: Evidence from Brazil," Discussion Papers in Economics 04/3, Division of Economics, School of Business, University of Leicester.
    8. Daniele Bondonio, 2019. "Does the Running Variable Matter? A Second Look at Discontinuity Designs for Evaluating Regional Economic Development and Business Incentive Policies," Economics Working Paper from Condorcet Center for political Economy at CREM-CNRS 2019-02-ccr, Condorcet Center for political Economy.
    9. Thiess Büttner & Alexander Ebertz & Jens Ruhose, 2009. "Der Mindestlohn und die räumliche Lohnstruktur in Deutschland," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 62(05), pages 20-26, March.
    10. Price V. Fishback & Andrew J. Seltzer, 2021. "The Rise of American Minimum Wages, 1912–1968," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 35(1), pages 73-96, Winter.
    11. Richard Dickens & Alan Manning & Tim Butcher, 2012. "Minimum Wages and Wage Inequality: Some Theory and an Application to the UK," Working Paper Series 4512, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    12. George Economides & Thomas Moutos, 2014. "Minimum Wages as a Redistributive Device in the Long Run," CESifo Working Paper Series 5052, CESifo.
    13. Keil, Manfred & Robertson, Donald & Symons, James, 2001. "Minimum wages and employment," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 20119, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. Marius Berger & Bruno Lanz, 2020. "Minimum wage regulation in Switzerland: survey evidence for restaurants in the canton of Neuchâtel," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 156(1), pages 1-23, December.
    15. Arindrajit Dube & Attila Lindner, 2024. "Minimum Wages in the 21st Century," RFBerlin Discussion Paper Series 2425, ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin).
    16. Hamermesh, Daniel S., 2007. "Replication in Economics," IZA Discussion Papers 2760, IZA Network @ LISER.
    17. Möller, Joachim & König, Marion, 2008. "Mindestlohneffekte des Entsendegesetzes? : eine Mikrodatenanalyse für die deutsche Bauwirtschaft (Minimum wage effects of the worker posting law? : a micro data analysis for the German construction se," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 41(2/3), pages 327-346.
    18. Bossler, Mario & Gürtzgen, Nicole & Lochner, Benjamin & Betzl, Ute & Feist, Lisa & Wegmann, Jakob, 2018. "Auswirkungen des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns auf Betriebe und Unternehmen," IAB-Forschungsbericht 201804, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    19. Marcus Dittrich, 2010. "Minimum Wages and Unemployment Benefits in a Unionized Economy: A Game-Theoretic Approach," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 11(2), pages 209-229, November.
    20. Möller, Joachim & König, Marion, 2008. "Mindestlohneffekte des Entsendegesetzes? : eine Mikrodatenanalyse für die deutsche Bauwirtschaft (Minimum wage effects of the worker posting law? : a micro data analysis for the German construction se," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 41(2/3), pages 327-346.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:che:ireepp:v:5:y:2006:i:1:p:60-72. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Martin Poulter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/iree .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.