2017 BMO Public Lecture with Nathan Nunn
Why Culture Matters
On the need of a new economic model to improve our world.
Everyday our world feels the impact of cultural differences. From war to human rights violations, our news feeds are overrun with stories that revolve around these issues. Evidence suggests that these differences are systematic and can be explained by historical forces that shape their evolution.
Nathan Nunn, Harvard Professor and SFU alumnus, will summarize this thought provoking research, before turning to the question of how these insights are useful for understanding the world today.
He will discuss recent findings that show how cross-cultural differences are important for explaining local violence and civil wars, and the treatment of women in society, health, education, and wellbeing.
Lastly, he will share evidence that shows how the success of policy interventions can depend critically on a society’s culture and social context, and the extent to which these are understood by policymakers.
Presented by BMO, SFU's Department of Economics, in partnership with SFU Public Square, this free lecture will start at 7 PM and will include a Q&A period. The discussion will continue afterwards at a reception for all guests.
7:00 p.m. (PT)
Room 1200, Segal School of Business
SFU Vancouver Campus
500 Granville St
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Dr. Nathan Nunn
Nathan Nunn is Frederic E. Abbe Professor of Economics at Harvard University. Professor Nunn was born in Canada, where he received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2005. Professor Nunn’s primary research interests are in economic history, economic development, cultural economics, political economy and international trade.
He is an NBER Faculty Research Fellow, a Research Fellow at BREAD, and a Faculty Associate at Harvard's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA). He is currently a co-editor of the Journal of Development Economics
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