Farewell lecture by Wolfgang Zank
In connection with Associate Professor Wolfgang Zank's retirement, the Department of Politics and Society, Aalborg University, invites to his farewell lecture on the subject ”Overall, human development has been very successful the last decades”.
Time
22.06.2022 kl. 11.30 - 14.00
Description
Overall, human development has been very successful the last decades
It is in contrast to widely held perceptions, but the last decades have been globally quite successful in economic and social terms. Not the least absolute poverty has fallen very substantially. Inequality has been rising in many countries, but this has not been the case for the globe as a whole. Nor has there been any “race to the bottom” as regards welfare state arrangements. All developed states are “dual economies” with market economy and a solid state sector.
Poorer former “peripheral” countries could successfully integrate themselves into the world markets and make substantial gains, with China as the most prominent, but far from only example. Global warming and ecological damages have been a serious challenge, but the necessary transitions are perfectly doable, and to quite some extent on their way. Population growth has been decreasing and will presumably end completely in the second half of this century.
In the lecture we review some pessimistic scenarios, (e.g.Malthus, Ricardo, Marx, Meadows) according to which economic growth would sooner or later end in stagnation, if not collaps. None of them became vindicated. It is true, “we cannot go on the same way as we have done”. But doing things differently is not new, it has always been at the core of economic growth.
Time & place
Wednesday 22 June 2022 from 11:30 to 14:00
Lecture: Fibigerstræde 1, room 31 , 9220 Aalborg East at 11:30
Reception: Fibigerstræde 1, The Aula, 9220 Aalborg approx. 12:15
Registration
If you want to attend the reception, you must register here no later than 15 June 2022 at 12:00.
Host
Department of Politics and Society
