Economic and Social Well-being of Indigenous Children: 2025 BMO Public Lecture with Randall Akee
2025, Indigenous Voices, Equity + Justice, Health
How does poverty affect the long-run outcomes for Indigenous children? How can changes in household conditions affect various dimensions of well-being?
At this talk, Randall Akee, UCLA professor of Public Policy and American Indian Studies, will share an overview of recent research that seeks to answer these questions. Focusing on American Indian and other Indigenous Peoples children, the research used a combination of administrative and survey-based data.
Dr. Akee will also examine how intergenerational mobility differs for American Indians and other groups in the U.S and summarize some data on differences in mortality for First Nations’ children and that of non-natives in Canada. The public event will be followed by a reception–all are welcome to join.
This event has been postponed. Thank you for your understanding.
This event has been postponed. Thank you for your understanding.
The BMO Public Lectures are presented by some of the top minds and scholars in economics, with the aim of engaging the general public on issues that pertain to economics but have a direct impact on their daily lives.
The BMO Public Lecture series is hosted by SFU's Department of Economics in partnership with SFU Public Square, with the generous sponsorship of BMO.
Randall Akee
Featured Speaker
Randall Akee is a Professor in the Department of Public Policy and American Indian Studies at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). Dr. Akee completed his doctorate at Harvard University in June 2006, is an applied microeconomist, and has worked in the areas of Labor Economics, Economic Development and Migration. He spent several years working for the State of Hawaii Office of Hawaiian Affairs Economic Development Division. Previously, he served as a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution and has served on the University of California Office of the President’s Native American Advisory Council.
Dr. Akee also served on the National Advisory Council on Race, Ethnic, and Other Populations at the US Census Bureau. For the year 2022-2023, Dr. Akee served as a Senior Economist in the Council of Economic Advisers in the Office of the White House working on Labor and Social Inclusion topics. Dr. Akee also conducted work for the US Census Bureau focusing on the Statistical Products First initiative. Currently, Dr. Akee is a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in Labor Studies and the Children’s Groups.
Fernando Aragon
Moderator
Fernando Aragon is the Assistant Chair and a Professor of Economics at Simon Fraser University. His research lies at the intersection of Development, Environmental and Political Economy and focuses on understanding the role of natural resources, local institutions, and environmental factors (such as climate change and pollution), on local communities.
His research has been published in leading academic journals including the Economic Journal, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, and the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. Before joining academia, Dr. Aragon worked as an economic consultant for public and private organizations in Peru and UK. He holds a B.A from the Universidad del Pacifico (Peru), and a MSc and PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics.
This event is taking place in Rooms 1400-1430 at SFU Harbour Centre (515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver). The building is located a brief walk from Waterfront station and numerous bus stops. Plan your trip with TransLink’s Trip Planner. There will be signage showing attendees where to go once they enter the building.
Bike stalls are available outside the main entrance. Nearby parking is available at 500 & 400 W. Cordova St.
There are washrooms located on all floors of the building. Accessible, private bathrooms and gender-neutral washroom stalls are available on the first floor in the east corridor. All floors within the building are serviced by elevators.
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