GMU economics professor Peter Boettke’s essay on The Freeman is crucial reading for economics professors and those who might want to become one of them.

Boettke writes:

Economics, as an academic discipline, rewards scientific cleverness over clarity, and research significance over teaching ability. The cost-minimizing strategy is to teach technique over substance. The material is straightforward and the tests are more or less unambiguous. So our young economics teacher — trying to balance the requirements of tenure, the wonders of economics (not to mention living a healthy, happy personal life) — must make trade-offs. And, on the relevant margin for our discussion, teaching economics thoroughly and passionately is what gets traded off.

I agree, and would add that what Boettke says about econ profs applies pretty much across the board.