Dec. 9, 2020
James S. Palmer Lecture features 2019 Nobel Prize winner Esther Duflo
On Dec. 16, UCalgary's School of Public Policy will host 2019 Nobel Prize winner Dr. Esther Duflo, PhD, as part of the James S. Palmer Lecture Series. Duflo won the Nobel Prize in Economics, along with her husband, Abhijit Banerjee, and economist Michael Kremer, for their "experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.”
In her research, Duflo, pictured above, has sought to understand the lives and economic choices available to the world’s poorest people, with the aim to help evaluate and design better and more equitable social policies. She has recently published two books to further this research that deal with themes such as immigration, inequality, globalization, technological disruption, and climate change.
Due to COVID, the planned in-person lecture will now be held online and will be hosted by Dr. Pierre-Gerlier Forest, PhD, the University of Calgary James S. and Barbara A. Palmer Chair in Public Policy. Duflo and Forest will discuss Duflo’s methodology, her views on the pandemic, which path should be taken to a global economic recovery, and global economics.
The James S. Palmer Lecture Series was established to pay tribute to James S. Palmer’s dedication and service to the University of Calgary during his term of office as chancellor, and for his continuing support of post-secondary education in the province of Alberta. It is one of the most significant public academic activities hosted by the university.
The purpose of the lecture series is to expose students, faculty and members of the Calgary community to eminent thinkers with international stature and to promote discussion of important public issues.
“Since 1995, the James S. Palmer Lecture Series has been one of the most important intellectual events in Calgary. The School of Public Policy is pleased to be able to continue with this rich tradition, thanks to the ongoing support of the late James S. Palmer and his family,” says Forest.
The lecture will be held online Dec. 16, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event is open to the public and is free of charge, although registration is required.
In addition to being a Nobel Prize recipient, Esther Duflo is the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).
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