British Academy Conferences bring together scholars and specialists from around the world to consider and evaluate new research in the humanities and social sciences.

Automation, artificial intelligence, and big data will have a dramatic effect on future economies. New technology provides opportunities for growth and prosperity, but it also has potentially disruptive effects on the labour market, making existing skills and tasks obsolete. To achieve sustained and inclusive growth, it is important to understand how we can reap the benefits of new technologies and facilitate the successful transition of the workforce to new opportunities. However, such challenges are not new. The rise of machine-driven looms in the 19th century threatened jobs in the textiles sector, sparking the Luddite movement. Similar fears were present when computers were introduced in the 1970s and 1980s. How did economies respond to these challenges in the past? What are the lessons for today? Bringing together leading economic historians and labour economists with policymakers promises to yield important new insights on technological progress, economic growth, and the future of labour.

Conference convenors:

Professor Sascha O. Becker, Monash University, Australia, and University of Warwick

Dr Hyejin Ku, University College London

Speakers:

Day 2, Friday 25 March

Professor David Autor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA

Professor Professor Kaushik Basu, Cornell University, USA and former Chief Economist of the World Bank

Professor Christian Dustmann FBA, University College London, UK

Dr Ekkehard Ernst, International Labor Organization, Switzerland

Professor Lawrence Katz, Harvard University, USA (V)

Professor Suresh Naidu, Columbia University, USA

Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides FBA, London School of Economics and Institute for the Future of Work, UK

Dr Pascual Restrepo, Boston University, USA (V)

Dr Martin Sandbu, Financial Times, UK

Professor Uta Schoenberg, University College London, UK

Professor Kathryn Shaw, Stanford University, USA

In case you would like to review who is speaking on Day 1 (24 March), see below.

Day 1, Thursday 24 March

Professor Robert Allen FBA, New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE

Professor David Autor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA

Professor Professor Kaushik Basu, Cornell University, USA and former Chief Economist of the World Bank

Professor Nicholas Crafts FBA, University of Sussex and CAGE, University of Warwick, UK

Professor Stephen Machin FBA, London School of Economics , UK

Professor Kathryn Shaw, Stanford University, USA

Dr Mara Squicciarini, Bocconi University, EU

Professor Claudia Steinwender, Univerisity of Munich, EU

Professor John Van Reenen FBA, London School of Economics, UK

Professor Joachim Voth, University of Zurich, Switzerland, EU

A full conference programme will be included online. When booking for this event you have a choice of an online or in-person ticket. If you register for both days, please ensure you book each individual day.

Lunch is included in the price of each day's ticket for those attending in person.

For any enquiries about this conference please email conferences@thebritishacademy.ac.uk

ABOUT THE BRITISH ACADEMY

The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future.

From artificial intelligence to climate change, from building prosperity to improving well-being – today’s complex challenges can only be resolved by deepening our insight into people, cultures and societies.

We invest in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas, engage the public with fresh thinking and debates, and bring together scholars, government, business and civil society to influence policy for the benefit of everyone.

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