World-renowned economist Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz will deliver the 2014 RSA Scotland Angus Millar Lecture, on the topic of creating a learning society.

It has long been recognised that most standard of living increases are associated with advances in technology, not accumulation of capital. And it has also become clear that what separates developed from less developed countries is not just a gap in resources or output, but a gap in knowledge. In fact, the pace at which developing countries grow is largely determined by the pace at which they can close that gap. Thus, in understanding how countries grow and develop, it is essential to learn how they learn and become more productive, and what government can do to promote learning.

In the 2014 Angus Millar Lecture, Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz will discuss this insight's significance for both economic theory and policy. Elaborating on the themes of his new book with fellow Columbia University economist Bruce Greenwald, Creating a Learning Society, Stiglitz will explain why the production of knowledge differs from that of other goods, and why market economies alone are typically not efficient in the production and transmission of knowledge. This perspective has implications for global trade regimes, industrial policy and intellectual property regimes. In fact, virtually every government policy has impact on learning - something that policy makers must acknowledge in both developing and advanced countries.

Refreshments will be available before the event from 5.30pm, and you are warmly invited to take this chance to meet other attendees. For further information or to book your place, please visit the dedicated registration page – any questions can be directed to Jamie Cooke.

About the speaker:

Joseph E. Stiglitz is University Professor at Columbia University, the winner of the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, and a lead author of the 1995 IPCC Report, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He was Chairman of the US Council of Economic Advisors under President Clinton and chief economist and senior vice president of the World Bank from 1997-2000. Stiglitz received the John Bates Clark medal, awarded annually to the American economist under the age of 40 who has made the most significant contribution to the subject. He was a Fulbright Scholar at Cambridge University, held the Drummond Professorship at All Souls College Oxford, and has also taught at MIT, Yale, Stanford and Princeton. He is the author most recently of The Price of Inequality: How Today's Divided Society Endangers Our Future and, with Bruce Greenwald, Creating A Learning Society: A New Approach to Growth, Development and Social Progress.

Contact: Jamie Cooke
[email protected]
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