Student engagement in economics: an integrated solution

This paper deals with an innovation for student engagement in economics. Elementary economics textbooks have become less attractive to students requiring only an introduction to economics, given that their content is pervaded by mathematical diagrams and simple equations. Also they are of relatively little value to those interested in, for example, attempting to gain an understanding of the Creative Economy, for they rarely emphasise business innovation and its crucial dynamic role. These factors engender two obstacles. First, newcomers are frequently \u27turned off\u27 by existing economics textbooks due to the pervasive use of mathematics. Second, those newcomers who are not initially turned off tend to be disenchanted with economics because they perceive that economics is of little use in understanding the Creative Economy in which they work, or will come to work. I suggest an integrated solution to overcome both obstacles. The implementation entails a reorientation of the traditional pedagogical strategy for teaching introductory economics