Event Summary
Benjamin M. Friedman of Harvard University presents the sixth annual O. John Olcay Lecture on Ethics and Economics at a Peterson Institute for International Economics virtual event held on February 4, 2021. He discusses his new book, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism, which fundamentally reassesses the foundations of current-day economics, showing how religious thinking has shaped economic thinking since the beginnings of modern Western economics and how this influence continues to be relevant today, especially in the United States. PIIE president Adam S. Posen moderates the subsequent discussion and Q&A session.
Friedman is the William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy and former chairman of the department of economics at Harvard University. Friedman’s two previous general interest books are Day of Reckoning: The Consequences of American Economic Policy Under Reagan and After and The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth.
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Presentation: Benjamin M. Friedman (1.09 MB)
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About This Series
The annual O. John Olcay Lecture on Ethics and Economics is held annually in memory of John Olcay, a longtime friend and intellectual supporter of the Peteson Institute for International Economics, particularly of the Institute's work on monetary and financial policy.