Economics

There's a surprising source for research on controversial topics in higher education: economists. In their journals and at their scholarly meetings, they are spending a lot of time analyzing issues that are important to many academics.

The American Economic Association met this weekend in Philadelphia. Here are some of the findings of interest to academics who aren't economists:

The weak dollar is taking a toll on American students abroad and Chinese students in Europe.

Large group of economics graduate students are under investigation at university known for its honor code.

The number of economics majors is up for the eighth straight year, reversing declines of the early 90s.

Paul Krugman and Glenn Hubbard enter the lucrative textbook market for Econ 101.

Analysis finds wide variations among disciplines -- with anthropology and sociology more liberal than political science and economics.

At meetings of economists and of historians, scholars trade ideas on syllabuses, lecture classes, homework, silent students and more.

Caroline Hoxby, an economist at Harvard, answers the call for higher standards in education research.

Princeton is finding ways to get more students to study what they love, not what everyone else is studying.

Study suggests that Internet may have eliminated link between working at an elite university and doing the best research.