Teacher Training and Market Attitudes in Transitioning Economies

Abstract

One of the ancillary goals of economic education programs in transitioning economies is to foster positive attitudes toward market economies. Using a simultaneous equations model to account for the interaction between attitudes and economics knowledge, this research examines the factors that contribute to the pro-market attitudes of teachers participating in economics training programs sponsored by the National Council on Economic Education in Russia, Central Asia and Central and Eastern Europe. Empirical results indicate that training increases the probability participants will possess positive attitudes toward market economies, but that possessing positive attitudes toward free-markets does not necessarily imply greater economics knowledge.