Map
The whole field, at a glance.
Every school and field is placed against the big question it works on. Select a question to light up what connects to it.
Five layers
Big questions
Six questions that almost all economics tries to answer.
Pillars
Micro zooms in, macro zooms out, econometrics tests.
Schools
Rival answers to the same questions, usually born in a crisis.
Fields
Workshops where the questions meet one part of life.
Methods
How each answer gets tested against evidence.
Era
Big question 1, Choice: 4 schools and 5 fields connected
i How do people and firms make choices?
Schools that argue about it · 4
Fields that work on it · 5
ii How do markets coordinate millions of choices, and when do they fail?
Schools that argue about it · 5
Fields that work on it · 12
- B · History of thought: History of thought and methodology
- C · Quantitative: Mathematical and quantitative methods
- D · Micro: Microeconomics
- F · International: International economics
- G · Finance: Financial economics
- H · Public: Public economics
- J · Labour: Labour and demographic economics
- K · Law: Law and economics
- L · Industry: Industrial organisation
- M · Business: Business economics, accounting and marketing
- Q · Environment: Agricultural, natural resource and environmental
- R · Urban: Urban, regional and transport
iii Why do some economies grow rich while others stay poor?
Schools that argue about it · 4
Fields that work on it · 8
- B · History of thought: History of thought and methodology
- C · Quantitative: Mathematical and quantitative methods
- E · Macro and money: Macroeconomics and monetary economics
- F · International: International economics
- N · Economic history
- O · Development: Development, innovation and growth
- P · Systems: Economic systems
- R · Urban: Urban, regional and transport
iv Why do economies boom and bust, and can policy smooth the ride?
Schools that argue about it · 9
Fields that work on it · 4
v Who gets what, and is it fair?
Schools that argue about it · 4
Fields that work on it · 6
vi What rules and limits shape the economy?
Schools that argue about it · 4
Fields that work on it · 9
- B · History of thought: History of thought and methodology
- C · Quantitative: Mathematical and quantitative methods
- H · Public: Public economics
- K · Law: Law and economics
- L · Industry: Industrial organisation
- N · Economic history
- O · Development: Development, innovation and growth
- P · Systems: Economic systems
- Q · Environment: Agricultural, natural resource and environmental