ROLE OF “HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT” IN EDUCATION OF ECONOMISTS

In this article, the author considers the subject, objective and role of “The History of Economic Thought” in the education of economists and in the current curriculum at Faculty of Economics in Zagreb. He describes in detail the holistic concept of “The History of Economic Thought” as a scholarly and educational discipline. The author further emphasizes that it performs (a) cognitive (b) socio-psychological, and (c) pragmatic functions in the education of economists. Aspects of the study of economic thought under a variety of names have been studied at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb for decades. In the current curricula, which are valid for both undergraduate and graduate study, topics from the field of the history of economic thought have been neglected. The author describes the possible reasons for this situation. He sees the principal reason in a failure to comprehend the role and importance of this discipline in the education of various types of economists. Therefore, the author thoroughly considers the following question: why does the history of economic thought have to be researched and studied? In this context he outlines the cognitive, socio-psychological and pragmatic reasons for the study of the history of economic thought. At the end of the article, the author proposes that the history of economic thought, as a general educational discipline, should be given particular attention in the upcoming alteration of the curriculum and adaptation of the educational system in Croatia to the educational system of the European Union.