History’s Lessons for Economic Growth

Economic growth cannot be taken for granted. For much of human history, stagnation—not progress—was the norm. What, then, ignited the economic growth of the mid-18th century? How do modern societies maintain such unprecedented rates? And what forces today threaten that trajectory? Join us for a wide-ranging conversation with three scholars of economic growth as they explore these pressing questions.

Steven Durlauf is the Frank P. Hixon Distinguished Service Professor and the Director of the Stone Center for Research on Wealth Inequality and Mobility. His work highlights the limitations of the existing economic growth literature, showing that there is often a significant gap between growth theories and the empirical methods used to test them. He develops advanced econometric tools that emphasize the importance of linking real-world data to ideas, institutions, and culture, both for understanding economic growth and for crafting sound policy recommendations.

Joel Mokyr is the Robert H. Strotz Professor of Economics at Northwestern University and a 2025 Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences, recognized for “identifying the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress.” One of the world’s most influential economic historians, Mokyr has reshaped our understanding of how societies escape stagnation. His scholarship, spanning more than a hundred articles and books, has transformed debates across economics, history, and the social sciences by emphasizing the decisive role of culture, ideas, and receptiveness to change in modern prosperity.

James Robinson is a Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy and a winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences “for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.” Robinson’s foundational research explains how political and economic institutions shape development—and how they can also entrench inequality or even fuel “de-development.” His work offers essential insights into how the gains from technological innovation may be captured by elites unless societies take active steps to safeguard inclusive institutions.

This event offers a rare opportunity to hear three of the field’s most influential voices grapple with the forces that created the modern economy—and those that will determine its future.

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