What Makes CORE Econ's Approach to Teaching Economics Different?

CORE Econ teaches introductory economics by starting from real-world problems—inequality, climate change, market power, financial crises—and then building the concepts and methods needed to understand them, rather than beginning with abstract theory and adding applications later. Its ebooks are free and open access, and it publishes separate texts for different course levels and regions. This approach suits instructors who want policy-engaged, research-based teaching materials and learners who want economics connected to current problems; it is less suited to those who want a traditional theory-first sequence or a text tightly mapped to a specific exam syllabus.

Problem-first, not theory-first

The organizing principle is that a pressing real-world question motivates the economics, not the reverse. CORE describes its materials as using "the best research to address the world's most pressing problems," and its Economy, Society, and Public Policy text is explicitly built on "using policy problems to motivate learning the concepts and methods of economics."

In practice this means a unit typically opens with a puzzle or policy dilemma, then introduces the models and data needed to reason about it. The concepts arrive as tools for a question already on the table, which is the opposite of the standard sequence where a model is presented first and applications follow.

Research-based content

CORE states that its teaching draws on current research rather than only on the canonical models of earlier decades. This shows up in how topics are framed—for example, treating institutions, power, and distribution as central rather than peripheral—and in the use of real data throughout the texts.

Real data and policy work

Alongside the ebooks, CORE publishes Doing Economics, described as working "through policy problems using real data." That is a distinct offering from a standard textbook: it is a set of exercises in applying economic reasoning and evidence to concrete policy questions, which complements the conceptual chapters.

A range of ebooks for different levels and regions

CORE is not a single book. The catalogue covers different audiences, so the "different approach" also means choosing the right entry point:

There are also translations and adaptations, including Spanish (La economía 2.0: Microeconomía, La Economía), French (L'Économie, plus L'Économie pour le Lycée for high school), Italian (L'economia), Finnish (Talous), Portuguese (A Economia), German (Die Wirtschaft), and Slovak (Ekonomika, spoločnosť a verejná politika).

Free and open access

CORE's ebooks are free and open access—the site describes them as "free to everyone" and repeats "free, open access" for individual titles. Registration is offered to unlock "additional instructor and learner resources," so the core texts are accessible without it, while some supplementary teaching and learning materials sit behind a registration step.

What this means for choosing it

• Choose CORE if you want an introductory course or self-study path organized around contemporary problems, current research, and real data, and you want the main texts at no cost.
• Look elsewhere if you need a text sequenced strictly by standard theory-first convention, or one aligned to a particular national exam syllabus—though the regional adaptations (South Asian, French high school) may close that gap for some courses.
• Pick the title by level: Understanding our Economy for beginners and North American college students, The Economy 2.0 for standard introductory micro and macro, Economy, Society, and Public Policy if policy problems are your teaching hook, and Doing Economics or Experiencing Economics as companions for data work and classroom experiments.