From October 28 to November 18, New Economic School held the Honorary Lectures on Political Economy in Memory of Alberto Alesina. Lectures from renowned professors of the leading European universities, friends and former colleagues of Alberto Alesina, were open for the general public. Ruben Enikolopov, Professor and NES Rector moderated this series of lectures.
October 28, 17:00
Guido Tabellini, Professor of Economics, Rector, Bocconi University (2008-2012), Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, European Economic Association President (2007)
Is Europe an optimal political area?
What is the optimal size of a political union? On the one hand, a larger size allows more efficient delivery of public goods, including security. On the other hand, too much of cultural and institutional diversity leads to conflicts. Aren’t European countries too different to be members of one union? Are European countries converging or diverging even more after coming into the union? To what extent has economic integration helped to ensure stability of the EU?
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November 5, 17:00
Ekaterina Zhuravskaya, Professor of Economics, Paris School of Economics, laureate of the International W. Leontief Medal, Birgit Grodal Award, CNRS Silver Medal in Human and Social Sciences and numerous other awards
Mobile internet and confidence in governments
The global spread of the mobile Internet has dramatically increased information accessibility, leading to a drop in trust in governments around the world. This effect is weaker in countries where traditional media are more independent. Meanwhile, the mobile Internet affects trust in government only if there is no online censorship. How does this effect depend on the level of corruption in the country? Which parties benefit and which lose from the spread of the mobile Internet?
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November 12, 17:00
Eliana La Ferrara, Invernizzi Chair in Development Economics at Bocconi University, Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, European Economic Association President (2018)
Diversity and Discrimination: Changing Stereotypes
Contemporary societies are increasingly diverse, and there is a vivid debate on the role that stereotypes play in interactions among members of different groups and the extent to which such stereotypes translate into prejudice and discrimination. What role do stereotypes play in individual decisions? Are they malleable? This lecture addresses these questions, discussing two ways of changing stereotypes: through social interaction, and by making people aware of their biases.
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November 18, 17:00
Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics, Academic Co-Director, Wheeler Institute for Business and Development, London Business School, European Central Bank Economist (2005-2007), National Bureau of Economic Research Faculty Research Fellow (2011-2016)
Religion, Ethnicity and Social Mobility in Africa
High social mobility is the cornerstone of a just society. What role do ethnic and religious factors play in determining social mobility? Can the differences between ethnic and religious groups be explained solely by geographic or political factors? In the lecture, these issues will be considered through the example of African countries.
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About Alberto Alesina
Alberto Alesina (29.04.1957-23.05.2020) was the Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy at Harvard University. In 2003-2006, he served as Chairman of the Department of Economics and as Research Associate of the Political Economy Program of the National Bureau of Economic Research (USA) since its foundation in 2006. He was the most influential political economist and published extensively in all major academic journals in economics. He has written five books and edited many more.
His two most recent books are The Future of Europe: Reform or Decline and Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe: A World of Difference. He was a Co-editor of the Quarterly Journal of Economics for eight years and Associate Editor of many academic journals. He has published columns in many leading newspapers around the world. His work has covered a variety of topics: political business cycles, the political economy of fiscal policy and budget deficits, the process of European integration, stabilization policies in high inflation countries, the determination of the size of countries, currency unions, the political economic determinants of redistributive policies, differences in the welfare state in the US and Europe, the effect of alternative electoral systems on economic policies, and the determination of the choice of different electoral systems.
The Honorary Lectures are organized with the support of “SAFMAR” charitable foundation.
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