Rethinking Economics

Rethinking Economics

4 September 2026

On 2 September, the newspaper reported that economists see opportunities in Schottegat. This refers to the possibilities that could arise from cleaning up the refinery site. On my Facebook page, I commented that we perhaps attach too much importance to the opinions of our economists, and that neoliberal economic thinking is partly responsible for the overdeveloped monoculture economy we now have, based on mass tourism.

Jan pointed out to me that I was being confrontational towards the club. I understand why he says that. And yet, that is not entirely the case. This is not a football club, but a scientific community. An important part of the scientific method is criticism. The criticism is not personal, even though it may come across that way.

My criticism is in line with that of the Rethinking Economics movement. Rethinking Economics is an international network of students and academics committed to more open and diverse economic thinking. It is part of the broader International Student Initiative for Pluralist Economics (ISIPE) and consists of groups in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, India, the United States and some twenty other countries.

The movement aims to open up economics faculties to economic approaches other than the neoclassical one, and to contributions from other social sciences to our thinking about the economy. A second goal is to make the debate about economics less technocratic and more accessible to the general public. (Wikipedia)

Curaçao, too, is badly in need of Rethinking Economics. There are already indications that we need to support developments based on alternative economic theories. Developments such as recycling and local food production.

So, do not see my criticism as criticism for criticism’s sake. It is not about economists as individuals, but about the question of what kind of economic thinking we use to shape the future of Curaçao.

Miguel Goede