Economics: An elite subject soon only available in elite universities?

There are some alarming stories coming out of the UK about the state of academic economics there. It appears that “economics” is becoming an elite subject for elite UK universities. This paper examines the Australian situation to see if similar patterns exist. This paper considers the trends in the availability of economics degrees across the nations and looks at the implications of these trends in Australia in terms of research outcomes, teaching and learning and the impacts on socio-economic opportunity. The similarities between the UK and Australian situation are disturbing and present a challenge to economists, and to the economics community and society as a whole.