Warwick Economics Society host Nobel Laureate and Warwick alumnus Professor James A. Robinson

Warwick Economics Society host Nobel Laureate and Warwick alumnus Professor James A. Robinson

On Friday 10th October, the Warwick Economics Society hosted Nobel Laureate and former Warwick Economics student Professor James Robinson (Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences 2024) for an intellectually rich and wide-ranging conversation that bridged rigorous economic theory with deeply personal insight.

The event opened with an introduction by Professor Sascha Becker, Professor of Economics at Warwick and a leading scholar of economic history and political economy. He was followed by Emeritus Professor Marcus Miller, Professor Robinson's former tutor at Warwick, whose opening question drew a subtle connection between Isaiah Berlin's two concepts of liberty and Robinson's hypothesis – articulated in The Narrow Corridor - that liberty emerges only when there is a delicate balance of power between a strong state and a strong society.

Co-Head of Talks Maria Kirpichnikova then led a fascinating interview-style conversation that explored the intellectual journey behind Professor Robinson's ground-breaking work. The discussion ranged from the formative experiences that sparked his research interest in global inequality, to extensive fieldwork across Latin America and Africa; and Professor Robinson shared how conversations with ordinary people, not just policymakers, shaped his understanding of development.

A significant portion of the afternoon centred on Professor Robinson's recent work on "wealth in people," a framework that challenges Western economic assumptions about property as wealth. He explained how engaging with this cultural concept - that wealth resides in social connections rather than material accumulation - has helped countries like Botswana to prosper where others struggled. This insight, with its links to his Nobel Prize-winning research on institutions, will surely have important implications for contemporary development policy.

Robinson also reflected candidly on the craft of economics itself: the challenge of writing for both academic and popular audiences, the tension between personal values and analytical rigour, and the intellectual curiosity that drives his work beyond the lecture hall.

The event concluded with questions from an engaged audience, followed by Maria's closing remarks which emphasised the importance of applying what had been learned. For those attending the event in person, it was a rare opportunity to witness scholarship at its finest: rigorous, humble, and profoundly human.

Thank you to Maria Kirpichnikova (Year 2 EPAIS) for submitting the article.