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Take Us to Your Economists: Teaching Economics Through a (Hypothetical) Alien Invasion

Author

Listed:
  • Scott Burns
  • Matthew Alford
  • David C. Wyld

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges that economic educators face is finding creative ways to bring the economic way of thinking to life. This paper introduces a creative way to engage students in the most important ideas in economics using a captivating thought experiment from science fiction: what can economics teach us about how our policymakers should respond to an alien invasion? Although this thought experiment was initially used as a debate topic for an economics club event, it has also been successfully utilized in principles-level classes. It even has applications to a variety of higher-level classes in international trade, game theory, and monetary economics.

Suggested Citation

  • Scott Burns & Matthew Alford & David C. Wyld, 2025. "Take Us to Your Economists: Teaching Economics Through a (Hypothetical) Alien Invasion," European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, European Open Science, vol. 6(2), pages 1-11, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:epw:ejedu0:v:6:y:2025:i:2:id:30844
    DOI: 10.24018/ejedu.2025.6.2.844
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    References listed on IDEAS

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