A crucial step in addressing inequalities is expanding knowledge beyond academic environments. Therefore, questioning and studying how economic reality has been portrayed and how economists convey their ide...
To go beyond academia, the Outreach component aims not only to communicate the work of Research and Teaching but also to do so in a way that reshapes narratives about what it means to be an economist and what inequalities entail. "We want to rewrite the narrative that economists are disconnected from reality," states Juan Camilo Cárdenas, leader of the Outreach Component.
Cárdenas, also an industrial engineer, PhD in Environmental and Resource Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and director of the Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Latin America and the Caribbean (CODS), says, "For TREES, it is crucial to have an impact on society. We aim to teach, communicate, and better connect with audiences, the general public. Outreach practically addresses how to present ideas that arise from research on inequalities in the global south.
Thus, the central focus of the Outreach component is to think about this how Economists have been experts in the what , but they struggle to convey the results of their research in a non-academic, simple language that communicates the message without losing the complexity and depth of knowledge.
Therefore, the question of how economic reality is conveyed is vital. The answers to this how are still under construction, as they will emerge through dialogue with other disciplines, an essential part of TREES' essence.
"We are working on a research project in collaboration with Professor Catalina Uribe, PhD in rhetoric and public communication, to see how we study the construction of messages, how they are communicated, how they are perceived by the general public, and how persuasive economists are when communicating an idea about a technical, obviously political, proposal that impacts society," explains Cárdenas.
This study, which also involves Leopoldo Fergusson, responsible for the Research component, seeks to understand how economists' communication capacity could be improved to achieve TREES' goal of having greater reach and impact.
Cárdenas also believes that in collective construction, linking academia with society, is where "the disconnection between economic ideas and the general audience is avoided." When one manages to step out of academia and build bridges with citizens, it becomes possible to begin deconstructing the idea that economic knowledge is restricted only to a certain audience, contributing to perpetuating inequalities in access to information.
Effectively explaining economic matters is not insignificant, as the disconnection between knowledge and reality not only leads to social tensions but also to uprisings, as happened with the social unrest in Colombia in 2021. Cárdenas explains, "The social unrest was triggered by a tax reform promoted by technical economists who did not read reality. Moreover, the historical moment was poorly chosen. The reform was good, had important elements, but due to that disconnection between technical knowledge and social reality, it was poorly explained. There was no proper listening or effective outreach."
In this sense, TREES' Outreach component aims to demystify and eliminate the ivory tower metaphor—describing researchers who, from a distance, generate knowledge that does not impact their society—and where various sectors place economics professionals. The goal is to build grounded and relevant conversations about the economic reality of the region, demonstrating that a subject relevant to the general public is interesting and can be easy to understand.
. outreach is not a one-way broadcasting from inside out. outreach is not only about educating students; it's also about providing information and training," affirms Cárdenas.
In other words, knowledge must have an impact on society. This is why one of TREES' objectives is to generate political and public dialogues. "We want to influence the conversations in the Senate and in the boardrooms of large companies," says Cárdenas. This is how theory and practice come together, demonstrating that economists create applicable knowledge that positively contributes not only to the country's economic growth but also to social development and, thereby, creating solutions to address inequalities in the global south.
