Are we in danger of losing our communities?

Contributor(s): Professor John Hasnas | In conventional political philosophy, law is understood as consciously created rules that are a necessary mechanism for regulating the excesses of the free market. Although coercive in nature, law is seen as a necessary defence against anarchy. But is the situation that simple? In his examination of the purpose and functioning of the legal system, John Hasnas challenges this false dichotomy, presenting a new theory of liberalism that demonstrates that the common law can serve as an effective alternative to traditional politically created legislation.

Contributor(s): Janet Henry, Clare Lombardelli, Professor Almudena Sevilla | Despite decades of progress, women remain underrepresented in the field of economics. This event explores the gender disparities in the discipline and what this means for economics and society. Our speakers share research on women in economics, insights from their own experiences and advice for those wanting to make a career in economics. What challenges face women economists at different stages in their careers? What progress has been made? What changes are needed now?

Contributor(s): Professor Bishnupriya Gupta | In her latest book An Economic History of India: Growth, income and inequalities from the Mughals to the 21st century, Bishnupriya Gupta builds a new framework for understanding the economic impacts and legacies of British Rule, which she will discuss in this public event. Using concepts and theories from economics and economic history alongside extensive new data, she charts India's transition from precolonial economy to colonial rule and evaluates its economic performance from a comparative perspective, particularly in the context of the Great Divergence between Europe and Asia. She examines India's post-independence economy and the evolution of social and economic inequality through to the turn of the twenty-first century.

Contributor(s): Dr Nisrin Elamin | The ongoing war in Sudan has produced the world’s largest humanitarian and hunger crisis—devastating a country that could easily feed itself and its neighbours. As millions of Sudanese face starvation, global markets are also experiencing a surge in the value of key Sudanese commodities such as gold, gum Arabic and livestock that are smuggled out of the country to places like the UAE, Egypt and Kenya. This talk situates Sudan’s current famine within a broader historical context of neoliberal economic restructuring, US aid policies, foreign land investments and resource extractivism. It traces how this history is connected to the current dismantling of rural livelihoods and agricultural infrastructures and to the ongoing resource extraction facilitated by this war. Using food insecurity and hunger as a lens, the talk examines the role of foreign-particularly Gulf-actors in fuelling and sustaining the war.

Contributor(s): Dr Sophie Scott-Brown | Anarchism has had a more powerful impact on political life than most people realise. What are the roots of this radical tradition? How has it had this impact? And what is the contemporary case for embracing it?