State intervention into the economy is back on the political agenda. What might economic planning look like in the 21st century? What is the appropriate balance between democratic, technocratic, and market power in shaping economic life and responding to social and political challenges? Could economic planning help solve some of our most pressing problems, including global warming, economic stagnation, and the crisis of care? Or would a turn to planning today merely repeat the errors and tragedies of the 20th century?

This series of talks, sponsored by the Economic Planning and Democratic Politics research project at the Neubauer Collegium, aimed to foster a deeper understanding of various theoretical stances on economic planning. Our speakers drew on insights from Austrian economics, neoclassical economics, Keynesian, and democratic socialist perspectives.

About the Speakers

Fikret Adaman is a Professor of Economics at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. With a focus on socio-economic issues, his research spans income inequality, social policy, and ecological economics. Adaman has published extensively on the economic calculation debate with Pat Devine, advocating for a democratic socialist organization of the economy.

Pat Devine is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester. His academic career spans decades and encompasses significant contributions to the field of political economy. Devine is renowned for his work on socialist economics and participatory planning, advocating for an alternative economic model that prioritizes democratic decision-making. His research covers topics such as market socialism, cooperative economics, and the critique of capitalist systems.

Other Events in the Series

Peter J. Boettke on the Austrian Perspective

J. W. Mason on Keynes, Carbon, and Socialism

Suresh Naidu on the Evidence-Based Policy Path to Socialism