Session Information
08 SES 13 B, Perspectives on Teaching and Learning in ESD
Paper Session
Contribution
This paper presents the results from semi-structured interviews with Upper Secondary teachers in economy-related subjects about their interpretations of environment and sustainability education. Even though the study is based on a Swedish context, the results have international relevance since education in economics is to a large extent based on the same neo-classic theory in large parts of the world. Furthermore, the formulations from the national policy documents are connected to the aims in the UN decade of Education for Sustainable development.
The study emanates from a theoretical tension between two different positions regarding the relation between politics (here defined as the sphere where moral actions are legitimate and/or imposed) and economics (here defined as the business community). One side argues for an ideal that implies creating and upholding a division between an economic sphere and a political sphere. This side can be illustrated by a common quote from Milton Friedman ‘Competitive capitalism, also promotes political freedom, because it separates economic power from political power’.
In the aftermath of the environmental movement and the financial crisis in Europe and US economists have taken on the task to reformulate or broaden this position. Michael E. Porter & Mark R. Kramer has argued for ‘a more sophisticated capitalism imbued with a social purpose’ and Mark S. Schwartz & David Saiia have formulated their position as ‘Friedman but with more ethics’.
The other position emanates from a more fundamental critique of the first position and argues that an ideal to create and uphold a division between economics and politics (or ethics) is unrealistic as well as harmful for humanity and the natural environment (Karl Polanyi, Julie A. Nelson, Karl Palmås). Nelson challenges the metaphorical image of the economy as a machine and argues that we need to respect the ethical capabilities within corporations and that we should not assume that non-market systems do good automatically.
Within EE-research ESD has been critiqued as supporting a neo-liberal agenda and this debate is imbued with a scepticism towards business initiatives for sustainability (see for instance Wals & Jickling 2008). Initiatives suggesting reforms of educational content has furthermore been done within ‘pluralism economics’ and ‘heterodox economics’-research (International Journal of Pluralism Economics Education 2012). Little empirical research on ESD-initiatives in economics education has though been done. With this background the purpose of this paper is to present teachers'interpretations of the new Swedish national school policy-documents that promotes ‘the moral responsibility of a business’ and ‘a business responsibility for sustainable development’ and to discuss these interpretations in relation to the different positions above. The tension between the different positions is here referred to as ‘the responsibility dilemma’. The aim is to make a contribution that can facilitate teacher's critical reflection on educational content as well as to research within environment, sustainability and education in economics.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Edwards, Derek. & Potter, Jonathan. (1992). Discursive Psychology. London: Sage. Glynos, Jason & Howarth, David (2007). Logics of Critical Explanation in Social and Political Theory International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education. 2012 Vol. 3 No.3 Special Issue on Implementing a New Curriculum for Economics Education after the Crisis: a Call For Action Jickling, B., & Wals, A. E. J. (2008). Globalization and environmental education: Looking beyond sustainability and sustainable development. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 40(1), 1–21. Kvale, Steinar. & Brinkmann, Svend. (2009). InterViews: learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing. (2. ed.) Los Angeles: Sage Publications. Nelson, Julie A. (2006): Economics for Humans. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Palmås, Karl (2011): Prometheus eller Narcissus?: Entreprenören som Samhällsomvälvare [Prometheus or Narcissus?: The Entrepreneur as Social Change Agent]. Göteborg, Sweden: Korpen koloni. Polanyi, Karl (1944/2001): The Great Transformation – The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time. Boston. Beacon Press. Porter, Michael. E. and Kramer, Mark. R. (2011). Creating Shared Value – How to reinvent capitalism- and unleash a wave of innovation and growth. Harvard Business Review Jan-Feb 2011. Schwartz, Mark. S & Saiia, David (2012). ‘Should Firms Go ‘Beyond Profits’? Milton Friedman versus Broad CSR1’. Business and Society Review 117:1 1–31 Swedish National Agency of Education (2012), Upper Secondary School 2011.
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