November 2009: Exploring Economics and Values with Lord Robert Skidelsky

In November, the Tobin Project hosted Lord Robert Skidelsky, preeminent biographer of John Maynard Keynes, for a dialogue on the intersection of markets and morals. Participants included Sir Anthony Atkinson (Oxford University, Economics), David Laibson (Harvard University, Economics), and Michael Sandel (Harvard University, Government). The day before, Lord Skidelsky offered a public lecture, sponsored by the Tobin Project, Harvard University’s Center for History & Economics, and the Project on Justice, Welfare & Economics.

This group first convened after the Tobin Project's April 2009 conference, "Government & Markets: Ferment in the Face of Crisis," where Professor Sandel and John Geanakoplos (Yale University, Economics) connected on their shared interest in the relationship between markets and values. The conversation continued at the Tobin Project in July, when participants including Professors Sandel, Geanakoplos and Laibson were joined by Sanjay Reddy (New School, Economics) and David Moss (Harvard Business School) to begin exploring a research agenda on the relationship between norms, markets, and political economy.