| Summary: | In the wake of the economic crisis, a number of student organisations and researchers came
together to highlight the lack of pluralism and heterodox approaches in economics curricula. The
high relevance of the pluralism debate becomes clear once set within the considerations of the
implications of a given scientific discourse on reality. This is especially relevant for social
sciences, where reality-creating is visible in e.g. the influence of economists on policy making.
This study explores the role of instructors in co-constructing the dynamics of the pluralism
discourse and debates. An empirical field study is conducted with lecturers in introductory
economics courses at the WU Vienna University of Economics and Business where they place
themselves within the pluralism discourse via a Q-study. Q is a mixed method typically employed
for studying subjectivity inherent to a given, socially contested topic. It begins with a set of
statements that undergo a sorting procedure on a relative ranking scale, and finishes with factorrendering.
Four voices are identified: Moderate Pluralist, Mainstreamers, Responsible Pluralists, and Applied Pluralists. The implications of the ideas brought by these voices are discussed from the point of view of discursive institutionalism, stressing in particular the role of ideas and discourse in institutional change. On top of what is here referred to as discursive readinesses for changes
towards more pluralism, strategies for overcoming the difficulties on the institutional level need
to be developed. (authors' abstract) === Series: Ecological Economic Papers
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