Ideas Changing History
Sep 17, 2007 → Sep 20, 2007
2007 Conference of the HDCA: "Ideas Changing History"
Keynote speakers will include: Martha Nussbaum, Amartya Sen, Hilary Putnam, Anthony Appiah, Sir Richard Jolly
The special theme of the conference will be on the spread of ideas and their social impact.
‘The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else.’ (Keynes)
As the famous quote by Keynes reflects, breakthrough ideas in economics and political philosophy can change history, but what are the processes that shape their spread? Ideas spread and have impact through three channels: academia, government policy and social movements. What has been the experience of progressive ideas in the past and what are the prospects for human development and capability approach in shaping development policy? What is the likely intellectual trajectory of capability and human development?
Aims of the conference and program
The purpose of this conference is to promote high quality research and innovations in policy and practice. The conference will bring together researchers and practitioners engaged in leading work on human development and capability approaches to development.
As in previous years, this conference program will include the key themes of Human Development and Capability, including: (i) philosophical foundations, (ii) measurement methods; (iii) conceptual and theoretical issues; and (iv) policy applications. These should relate to the broad range of basic concerns including poverty and inequality, democracy and public action, freedom, justice, human rights, and the challenges of globalization.
To address the special theme, the conference program will include diverse studies in intellectual history and development policy that address issues of: (i) intellectual freedom in academic institutions; (ii) economics in universities; (iii) the recent trajectory of development economics; (iv) human development and social movements; (v) democracy and social movements; (vi) human development and development policy; and (vii) institutions and ideas.
Organization
Programme Committee:
- Martha Nussbaum (Chair)
- Sabina Alkire
- Jonathan Bach
- Sakiko Fukuda-Parr
- Reiko Gotoh
- Siddiq Osmani
- Ingrid Robeyns
- Martin Van Hees
Conference Director:
- Sakiko Fukuda_Parr
Conference Coordinators:
- Kathrin Koenitzer
- MaryAnne Hoekstra
New School Committee Chair:
- Michael Cohen
For further information, please contact the Conference Coordinators, Kathrin Koenitzer and MaryAnne Hoekstra at HDCA2007@newschool.edu.
Hosted by The Graduate Program in International Affairs at The New School, New York City -- "A university born of dissent and democracy" Sponsored by Frederick S. Pardee and in collaboration with the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future at Boston University