We make a concerted effort to bring the lessons of economic history to policymakers in effective formats. This workshop, titled ‘CEPH Economic History and Policymaking Workshop’, is the vanguard of these efforts. Piloted at Queen’s University Belfast, we use cutting-edge pedagogies to facilitate learning in engaging and impactful ways.
Our workshop is designed to encourage civil servants to think about historical case studies in their day-to-day work, particularly when determining the risks or validity of a future project. We strongly believe that there are useful lessons to be learnt from the past, especially when using the toolkit of an economist. By using the past as a sandbox or laboratory, we are able to offer useful counterfactuals, context and evidence that can better inform present and future policy choices.
Our workshop divides participants into several teams who are asked to tackle examples of past government miscaluations, and approach them with fresh eyes and new perspectives. Based on state-of-the-art economic history research carried out by CEPH Research Associates, the workshop leans on modern ludofication techniques which engage participants through interactive ‘games’. This pedagogical style has the advantages of continually engaging participants whilst also offering a collaborative goal for them to work towards.
Some feedback from the pilot workshop:
The enthusiasm of the presenting team to encourage the spirit of the event was very good as it led in depth participation
I liked the mix of theory/lectures with the case study – this made it all very real and relatable. The group work I enjoyed greatly, especially in the fact that there were different roles across the groups which meant we were all relaying the same info back to one another.
The group activity was great as a method of getting us working together and learning how to gather information and present to stakeholders. Overall it was informative and fun.
Interested in bringing this workshop to your organisation? Reach out to us at cephoutreach@tcd.ie.
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