Top economist Acemoglu visits Groningen to speak on "The Race of Man Against Machine"

Leading economist Daron Acemoglu is to give a guest lecture at the Faculty of Economics and Business on Saturday 5 November. The topic is one of vital importance in a rapidly changing world: “The Race of Man Against Machine”. As ever more jobs previously done by humans are performed by robotics and artificial intelligence, what will the effect be on the labour market?

Some economists predict a dire future for the labour market as new technologies make some jobs obsolete. But Acemoglu sees current advances in robotics and artificial intelligence as part of a long process. Throughout history, just as older tasks have become obsolete, newer types of skilled roles have emerged. Acemoglu argues this as a race between two forces: automation on the side of machines, and the creation of new complex tasks on the side of man. Whether or not to expect a major labour market decline depends on the balance between the two.

The speaker

Daron Acemoglu’s life work seeks to answer the fundamental question of why some nations are rich, and others poor. His bookWhy Nations Fail, written with his long-time collaborator James Robinson, argued that economic success relies on strong institutions. It became a New York Times bestseller. Born in Turkey, educated in the U.K., and now the Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics at MIT, Acemoglu is the recipient of a numerous awards, fellowships, and honorary degrees.

The Maddison Lecture

The Maddison Lecture has hosted a series of leading thinkers on the themes of economic history, growth, and development. It is named in honour of Angus Maddison, who laid the foundations of the discipline in his career at the University of Groningen. Previous speakers include Nicholas Crafts, Dani Rodik, and Jeffrey Williamson. This lecture is organised by the Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC) and In the LEAD, with the support of the Faculty of Economics and Business and the SOM Research School.

Information

• The lecture will be streamed live (please use Internet Explorer or Firefox). If you have a question, post it on Twitter with the event’s hashtag #Acemoglu. The best will be put to the speaker.
• More information: Contact dr. Jutta Bolt (j.bolt@rug.nl) or dr. Petros Milionis (p.milionis@rug.nl) of GGDC.
• For live updates follow @UniGroningenFEB.

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