Did You know That Economics is Not Only About Money? The Effect of Popularisation Talks on High School Students’ Interest in the Discipline

Laura Padilla-Angulo, Diego Jorrat, José Ignacio Antón and Javier Sierra
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Laura Padilla-Angulo: Universidad Loyola Andalucía
Diego Jorrat: University of Seville
José Ignacio Antón: University of Salamanca
Javier Sierra: University of Salamanca

No 397, Working Papers from Red Nacional de Investigadores en Economía (RedNIE)

Abstract: This paper evaluates the effect of a short, interactive popularisation talk on uppersecondary students’ interest in Economics. This contrasts with previous research, which has primarily examined impersonal interventions to boost interest in Economics. The intervention presents Economics as an empirical social science engaged with real-world social problems. Using a cluster-randomised field experiment conducted during secondary-school campus visits in Spain, we find no statistically significant average effect on stated interest in studying Economics. However, the intervention generates substantial heterogeneity: those with stronger altruistic preferences become significantly more likely to express interest after the talk. These findings suggest that informational outreach may shape who perceives the discipline as aligned with their motivations, even if it does not substantially increase overall interest. More broadly, they indicate that presenting Economics as empirical and socially relevant may broaden the profile of those who consider the field.

Keywords: Economics; diversity; popularisation talks; information (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A22 C93 D64 I21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 42 pages
Date: 2026-05
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aoz:wpaper:397

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