Economic literacy is the prerequisite for achieving economic independence and helping to shape societies. The core of economic literacy is the individual’s ability to understand economic relationships on different levels, to assess them and to make informed decisions. Economic education is responsible for creating environments where effective learning can take place, so that students can acquire economic literacy. Therefore, the curriculum is of high importance, as it provides the basis for teaching and for creating learning materials. Through the ECON 2022 project, a base for further developing the curriculum and the instructional design of economic education will be established.

Four goals will be pursued:

1. The subject related curricula of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia will be analysed.
2. A model of the domain of economic literacy will be developed. Existing subject specific instructional design approaches will be considered, as well as the current scientific discussions on assessing competences.
3. A test will be developed in alignment with the curriculum of North Rhine- Westphalia.
4. The status quo on economic literacy of students in grade 8 will be assessed.

The ECON 2022 project thus generates empirical evidence on the current state of economic education in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. This will serve to provide recommendations for further developing the curriculum of the subject of economics. At the same time, it will facilitate monitoring the acquisition process of economic literacy.