Persuasion and Propaganda in Economic Education: Background Knowledge and Examples

Abstract

This study investigates whether global standardized economics education at the university level involves elements of indoctrination. The survey applies language and text based analyses from the cognitive sciences and propaganda research. Using two standard textbooks as examples, the survey identifies forms of persuasion capable of fundamentally and subconsciously altering students‘ (pre-)understandings and worldview. The forms of persuasion identified in this study do not conform to criteria of scientific-objective knowledge acquisition as the standard for education.