Angus Deaton in Conversation with Amartya Sen, "Economics with a Moral Compass?"

"Economics with a Moral Compass? Welfare Economics: Past, Present and Future" Angus Deaton in Conversation with Amartya Sen Overview: Many believe that economics and economists have an important role to play in creating better societies. The bedrock of the economic approach is the field of welfare economics which studies how to conceptualize and measure welfare with a view to designing better policies and institutions. It also allows ethics and economics to speak to each other. Yet, normative aspects of economics are sometimes dismissed as less scientific and therefore marginal to the discipline. And this is blamed, for example, for blinding economists to concerns about poverty and inequality. This conversation will focus on bringing ethical issues into economics, and the implications that this has for the practice and teaching of economics. Speakers: Angus Deaton, Senior Scholar and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of Economics and International Affairs Emeritus, Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School Amartya Sen, Thomas W. Lamont University Professor, Professor of Economics and Philosophy, Harvard University Conversation Chair: Tim Besley; School Professor of Economics and Political Science and W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); Editorial Committee Member of the Annual Review of Economics Event Co-Hosts: The Annual Review of Economics covers significant developments in the field of economics, including macroeconomics and money; microeconomics, including economic psychology; international economics; public finance; health economics; education; economic growth and technological change; economic development; social economics, including culture, institutions, social interaction, and networks; game theory, political economy, and social choice; and more. www.annualreviews.org/journal/economics Founded in 2006, the NYU Development Research Institute (DRI) is home to a growing team of researchers and students. Through our work, we seek to expand the number and diversity of serious commentators on the state of foreign aid and development. Our ultimate goal is to have a positive impact on the lives of the poor, who deserve the benefit of high-quality, clear-eyed, hard-headed economic research applied to the problems of world poverty. www.nyudri.org The C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics has as its major objective the fostering and development of rigorous applied work in the economic sciences, accomplished through a commitment to providing research support and creating forums for intellectual exchange. The C.V. Starr Center, housed within the Department of Economics at New York University, provides direct financial support for research faculty as well as for doctoral students involved in applied research activities. The Center regularly sponsors academic conferences, hosts renowned visiting scholars, and schedules plenary lectures given to a broad academic audience on topics of special significance to contemporary economic policy and application. www.cvstarrnyu.org Supported by: NYU Office of the Provost NYU Conversations in the Social Sciences NYU Africa House

Added 18 Jul 2026