The Power of Creative Destruction

The School of Economics at the University of Nottingham is delighted to present another public lecture.

The Power of Creative Destruction: Economic Upheaval and the Wealth of Nations

Philippe Aghion will be talking about his book, " The Power of Creative Destruction: Economic Upheaval and the Wealth of Nations".

The event will also feature Sir David Greenaway - Professor of Economics and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham.

About our speaker

Philippe Aghion is Professor at the Collège de France and the London School of Economics and was previously Professor of Economics at Harvard. His book The Power of Creative Destruction, with co-authors Céline Antonin and Simon Bunel, is being published this April by Harvard University Press.

The Power of Creative Destruction: Economic Upheaval and the Wealth of Nations

Philippe Aghion offers a cutting-edge analysis of what drives economic growth and give us a blueprint for prosperity under capitalism. Inequality is rising, growth is stagnant, the environment is suffering, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed every crack in the system. We hear more and more calls for radical change, even for the overthrow of capitalism. But Aghion suggests the answer is to create a better capitalism by understanding and harnessing the power of creative destruction—innovation that disrupts, but that over the past two hundred years has also lifted societies to previously unimagined prosperity.

Aghion draws on cutting-edge theory and evidence to examine today’s most fundamental economic questions, including the roots of growth and inequality, competition and globalization, the determinants of health and happiness, technological revolutions, secular stagnation, middle-income traps, climate change, and how to recover from economic shocks. He shows that we owe our modern standard of living to innovations enabled by free-market capitalism. But we also need state intervention with the appropriate checks and balances to simultaneously foster ongoing economic creativity, manage the social disruption that innovation leaves in its wake, and ensure that yesterday’s superstar innovators don’t pull the ladder up after them to thwart tomorrow’s.

This is a free online event, which is open to members of public. Places are limited.

Please register to attend and the joining link will be shared by email prior to the event.

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