In a two year long journey, Weikai Chen, Assistant Professor of Economics at Renmin University of China, made it to the city-level stage of the 13th Beijing Young Teachers’ Teaching Skills Competition. Weikai was also a student of Sam Bowles’, CORE Econ author and member of CORE’s Editorial Board, and authored with Sam the textbook Allocation, distribution and policy: Notes, problems, and solutions in microeconomics. We sat down with Weikai and found out more about the competition, his life, and his career.
Can you let us know your name, your institution, your position at the university, and the courses that you teach?
My name is Weikai Chen. I am an assistant professor at the School of Economics at Renmin University of China in Beijing. I teach both introductory and advanced courses in Marxian economic theory.
What aspect of your work do you enjoy the most?
The aspect of my work that I enjoy the most is interacting with young talents. I find it a great opportunity to share and exchange ideas. I take a non-conventional approach to teaching economics, where different ideas are encouraged to dialogue and compete with each other. This dynamic makes the learning process more stimulating and meaningful, both for the students and for me.
We’ve heard you’ve got far in a competition. Can you let us know a bit more about the competition please—when was it held, who was the organizer, what was the format…?
I took part in the 13th Beijing Young Teachers’ Teaching Skills Competition, a well-established contest organized by the Beijing Education Commission, the Beijing Education Trade Union, and various educational bodies. The competition, often referred to as ‘Qing Jiaosai’, has been running for nearly three decades and is a prestigious platform for young university teachers to showcase and improve their teaching abilities.
The competition involves several stages, beginning with departmental-level contests, followed by university-level competitions, and then a citywide final round. Beijing’s competition attracts participants from top universities like Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University of China. The format requires participants to select a course, submit detailed materials such as the syllabus and teaching plan, and deliver live teaching sessions. These sessions are judged by educational experts and students, with a strong emphasis on both pedagogical effectiveness and engagement. Though the competition culminates in a national round, my journey ended at the highly competitive city-level stage, which itself took almost two years from start to finish.
Why did you enter the competition?
My motivation for entering the competition was twofold. First, as a young academic, I wanted to push myself to refine my teaching skills and gain practical experience that could help me better engage with my students. Second, the competition offered an incredible opportunity to connect with other educators across various disciplines, exchanging ideas on innovative teaching methods and approaches.
Particularly in the field of economics, which has its own unique challenges in terms of pedagogy, I found it valuable to discuss fresh perspectives with colleagues who share a passion for teaching. The competition wasn’t just about performance—it was also about dialogue and learning from one another to improve the quality of education.
In how many rounds did you compete, what did you have to prepare for the competition, and how did you prepare?
I competed in three rounds: the departmental round, the university-level round, and finally the citywide competition in Beijing. Each round required a higher level of preparation and refinement. For my entry, I focused on my undergraduate course in Marxian economics. To prepare, I reviewed several years of teaching notes and materials, consulted with both colleagues and students to gather insights, and ultimately selected five key teaching segments. Each segment was carefully chosen to represent my approach to connecting economic theory with real-world examples. This connection is something I value greatly, as it helps students see the practical relevance of economic concepts in addressing issues like inequality, market failure, and the exercise of power.
You could choose any textbook. Which textbook did you choose? Which parts?
This elective course is one I specifically designed to offer economics majors a blend of theoretical depth and real-world application. I used a combination of my own lecture notes and various textbooks, but The Economy 2.0 from the CORE project was the most significant reference.
In particular, I relied heavily on Unit 4, ‘Strategic interactions and social dilemmas’, and Unit 5, ‘The rules of the game: Who gets what and why’. These units offered a clear framework for discussing complex topics such as social coordination, inequality, and bargaining. The real strength of The Economy lies in how it integrates these concepts with pressing contemporary societal challenges, making the material both accessible and highly relevant to students. This helped me craft lessons that resonated with students, as they could clearly see the connections between theory and current societal challenges.
How did The Economy 2.0 make a difference for you in the competition? Were there any elements or sections that were particularly useful?
The Economy 2.0 made a significant difference in my competition preparation because it provided a fresh and engaging alternative to the standard economics textbooks typically used. By integrating the latest research in economics with real-world case studies, the textbook allowed me to make my course content more appealing and relevant to students.
One example is how I used Section 4.12, ‘Fair farmers, self-interested students? Experimental results of the ultimatum game’, to introduce social preferences and experimental methods. I also extended the discussion to cover how social preferences vary across different modes of production, using not just the textbook’s examples of Kenyan farmers and American students but also a case from a whaling village in Indonesia, based on research by Samuel Bowles and anthropologists. This allowed me to present Marxian economic theory—particularly how modes of production shape preferences and beliefs—through a more tangible and evidence-backed lens. What stood out to me the most in The Economy was its extensive use of case studies and applications.
Some say The Economy 2.o (and The Economy 1.0 before it) is too heterodox; some say it is too orthodox. What do you think?
I teach Marxian economic theory, which is far from mainstream in both Western and Chinese economics education. However, I find The Economy 2.0 to be an extremely useful textbook. It reflects a departure from traditional economics textbooks, but also manages to integrate perspectives from different schools of thought. On one hand, it retains traditional themes like scarcity, preferences, supply and demand, and competitive markets. On the other hand, it incorporates a lot of newer content, such as discussions on power, social preferences, and bargaining, while bringing institutions and social interactions into the forefront early on as essential building blocks. Importantly, what are often considered special cases, such as market failures, are treated more as the norm in The Economy, offering a more balanced view of economic phenomena.
Given its unique structure and content, it’s understandable that people may view it as either too heterodox or too orthodox. In my opinion, it’s a mainstream textbook that remains open and friendly to non-mainstream approaches. As someone who teaches Marxian economics within a relatively diverse economics department, I would highly recommend this textbook to my colleagues who teach mainstream economics principles (as a better alternative to something like Mankiw’s Principles of Economics). It provides a solid background for subsequent courses, allowing different economic theories to compete, compare, and engage in dialogue on a more balanced playing field.
You were a student of Sam Bowles’. Do you have any anecdote/fond memories to share about that time?
I first encountered Sam Bowles’ work as an undergraduate in China, when I read Understanding Capitalism, one of his influential textbooks. In 2014, I joined the PhD programme in economics at UMass Amherst and became one of his students in the Econ 700 course. Over the next five years, I also served as his teaching assistant, which was an invaluable experience. He gave me a great deal of support and encouragement, shaping both my teaching and my research approach.
Sam’s teaching style is quite unique. He would assign challenging questions ahead of class and then randomly call on students to discuss their answers during the lecture. This method kept us on our toes, and though it could be a bit daunting—especially for someone like me, an international student—it was incredibly effective. Sam used to joke that this way, we were ‘teaching ourselves’. Another practice of his that I’ve adopted in my own teaching is gathering student feedback at the end of each course. Sam would ask students to write down what worked well and what could be improved. Even with the availability of online platforms, I find that asking students to write their thoughts in class makes the feedback more thoughtful.
Beyond the classroom, Sam made an effort to foster a sense of community. He invited students to his home for potluck dinners every semester, and I remember him and his wife being particularly fond of the Chinese dumplings I brought. Although I’m generally quiet, Sam had a way of making everyone feel included and valued. He paid attention to the quieter students, making sure we felt encouraged. His understanding and encouragement made a lasting impact on me, and I know many other East Asian students who later became his close collaborators and friends.
You co-authored with Sam the problem set book—can you tell us more about it? What is the intended audience?
The problem set book that Sam and I co-authored – Allocation, distribution and policy: Notes, problems, and solutions in microeconomics – was the result of several years of collaboration. During my time as his teaching assistant, I worked closely with him to revise and refine problem sets and exam questions he had developed over decades of teaching. We saw an opportunity to create something more comprehensive – similar to a problem set book Sam had written earlier in his career – so we decided to compile these materials into a book.
My role was to write detailed solutions for the problems, which often led to further revisions as we worked through assumptions, clarified concepts, and introduced new problems. Both Sam and I are strong advocates for using visuals to explain complex ideas, so we spent considerable time crafting diagrams to accompany the problems, making the underlying logic clearer and more accessible.
The book is intended for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students in microeconomics, as well as related fields like development and public economics. Its focus is on a problem-solving approach, with questions designed around the ‘new microeconomics’—covering topics like game theory, behavioural economics, and the economics of incomplete contracts. What sets this book apart is its emphasis on real-world issues, such as inequality and environmental challenges, which are often underrepresented in standard theory courses.
We believe the problem-based approach fills a gap in economics education. It provides a way for students to engage with modern, policy-relevant topics in a hands-on way. While we’re committed to making the material available for free online, we also recognize the demand for a traditional book format, which we’ve made available for those who prefer it.
In your opinion, how does The Economy 2.0 prepare students for intermediate microeconomic courses?
As I mentioned earlier, The Economy 2.0 serves as an excellent foundation for students entering more advanced economics courses, including intermediate microeconomics. It opens up students’ perspectives by connecting economic theory with real-world issues, and it offers a roadmap that brings the discipline closer to the complexities of the actual economy. This broader understanding makes it easier for students to grasp the more detailed and technical aspects introduced in intermediate micro.
The book’s integration of contemporary topics—such as game theory and behavioural and experimental economics—provides students with the conceptual tools needed to engage with more advanced material. When paired with intermediate microeconomics textbooks, like the one Sam Bowles and Simon Halliday co-authored, it helps create a modern, forward-looking economics curriculum that bridges foundational principles with more sophisticated models and analyses. Together, these materials equip students with a progressive and comprehensive understanding of economic theory.
What’s the most valuable advice you’d give to today’s students studying economics?
My advice to today’s economics students is to stay open to different approaches and perspectives within the field. It’s easy to become fixated on one dominant school of thought, but the richness of economics comes from its diversity of ideas. Whether it’s Marxian economics, behavioural economics, or game theory, each framework offers valuable insights into understanding the complexities of society and the economy. I encourage students to embrace this diversity and to explore theories that may challenge conventional thinking. By doing so, you’ll develop a deeper and more well-rounded understanding of economics.
