Center for Economic Science and Economic Education

Mission of the Center for Economic Science and Economic Education (CESEE)

The center focuses on educating the public, teachers, and policymakers about economic theory and policy in three main ways:

1. Policy Analysis and Outreach

Faculty affiliated with the center use the tools of economics to analyze various public policies, including policies that are important to Mississippians. Examples of the sort of output produced by the center relevant to Mississippians include:

• an analysis of a 2021 proposal by the Mississippi state legislature to reform the tax code
• a scholarly paper on U.S. maritime policy

In addition to providing this analysis, affiliated scholars speak to area groups in Mississippi about their work and about other policy issues of interest to those groups.

2. Public Education

The center sponsors the weekly Economic Forces newsletter on Substack, co-authored by Associate Professor and Senior CESEE fellow Joshua Hendrickson. The newsletter discusses various aspects of economic theory and examples of how the tools of economics can be used to understand the world around us as well as ongoing policy debates. The newsletter is written for a general audience, is read by thousands of readers each week, and is popular with economic educators as a supplement to their courses.

3. Educational Support

The CESEE’s current activities also include assisting the Mississippi Council on Economic Education in delivering its Master Teacher of Economics program to high school teachers in the northern part of the State.

In collaboration with the MSCEE, the CESEE works alongside similar centers at:

• Mississippi State University
• Delta State University
• The University of Southern Mississippi
• Mississippi College
• Millsaps College

This program has proven effective in boosting economic understanding among educators. According to the MSCEE, there is a significant improvement in teachers' scores on economic literacy tests, rising from an average of 62 before the training to 86 afterwards, marking a 40 percent increase. Upon successful completion, the Department of Education awards teachers with the "Master Teacher of Economics" title.