Events

On May 13-13, 2016, UChicago’s Becker Friedman Institute hosted a two-day conference, “Economics and Politics of Conflict.” The Pearson Institute Faculty Affiliate Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, the Sydney Stein Jr. Professor at Harris Public Policy, convened a group of scholars who have collected or accessed data from such remote locations as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Pakistan, the favelas of Rio, Somalia, and Vietnam. Together, scholars demonstrated the promise of this emerging field and the value of applying data-driven methodologies to gain valuable insights that can inform public policymaking.

The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Pearson Global Forum were announced at a daylong series of events on September 30, 2015, that was attended by more than 1,400 faculty, students, alumni, trustees and dignitaries. The events combined serious discussion of global conflict with a live musical performance by John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting) and emotionally riveting imagery with to illustrate the devastating impact of global conflict and communicate our shared belief that something can be done to create a world more at peace.

In addition to the announcement event on campus, two satellite events helped celebrate the launch of The Pearson Institute with UChicago alumni and friends from around the world.

At UChicago’s Center in Delhi, C. Raja Mohan, Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation and Non-Resident Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, discussed his latest book, Modi’s World: Expanding India’s Sphere of Influence and the challenges India faces in navigating a rapidly transforming regional and international landscape. His talk was followed by a live webcast of the announcement in Chicago.

At UChicago’s Center in Paris, a live webcast of the announcement began a conversation on the transformative power of data-driven analysis to address the greatest foreign policy challenges of our time. The event featured talks by Christopher Woodruff, Professor of Economics at Warwick University, and Obama Administration policymaker Christopher Smart, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and former Special Assistant to the President for International Economics.