Liberalism and Progress

Conference on Liberalism and Progress

Date: Thursday 13 March 2025

Time: Panel 1 (16:00-17:50), Drinks Reception (17:50-18:20), Panel 2 (18:20-20:00)

Venue: Clement House, CLM5.02, London School of Economics

This conference explores how liberal ideas can practically contribute to socio-economic progress in today's world. It brings together perspectives on the challenges of economic growth, inequality, and the position of minorities within market societies. Attendees interested in political economy, social justice, and contemporary socio-economic issues in the UK and beyond will find the discussions highly relevant. The conference is designed flexibly, allowing attendees to join one or both panels, though participation in the full program is encouraged for a comprehensive experience.

This event is student-focused, but is open to all, including members of the public and those from other institutions. Attendance is on a first-come-first-served basis.

This event is organized by the Hayek Society, a student group at LSE, and the LSE Hayek Programme.

Panel 1: Capitalism and the Democratisation of Wealth

Time: 16:00-17:50

This panel examines the relationship between capitalism and economic inequalities in history.

Speakers:
Daniel Waldenström, Professor of Economics, Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN Stockholm)
Daniel Waldenström will present insights from his book Richer and More Equal, which explores the historical democratization of wealth and its lessons for addressing inequality today. Daniel is a Swedish economist, economic historian, and professor. He is professor of economics and programme manager at the Research Institute of Industrial Economics in Stockholm.
Sam Dumitriu, Head of Policy, Britain Remade
Sam Dumitriu will speak on the topic "Builders vs Blockers", which explores how the failure to build in the UK hurts the least well-off and exacerbates social inequality. He will analyse the current state of the UK economy and make the case for economic growth, dynamism and renewed infrastructure investments. He is from Britain Remade - a campaign group that argues for reforming regulations around planning and environmental protection. Before joining Britain Remade, he worked for The Entrepreneurs Network as Research Director where he published a number of studies into entrepreneurship policy, including the report Job Creators which found that half of Britain's fastest growing businesses were founded by someone born overseas.

Watch the video recording of Panel 1

Drinks Reception

Time: 17:50-18:20

A networking session with light refreshments, offering an opportunity to engage with speakers and fellow attendees.

Panel 2: Capitalism and Minority Rights

Time: 18:20-20:00

This panel explores whether market economies are detrimental or beneficial to socially disadvantaged groups, focusing on LGBTQ minorities, racial minorities, and women.

Speakers:
Mikayla Novak, Senior Fellow, Mercatus Center, George Mason University
Mikayla Novak will speak on Queer Liberation, analyzing the interaction between market economies and LGBTQ communities, highlighting opportunities for greater inclusion for sexual and gender minorities. Mikayla Novak is the author of Inequality: An Entangled Political Economy Perspective (2018) and Freedom in Contention: Social Movements and Liberal Political Economy (2021). Her research interests include Austrian and evolutionary economics, public choice, entangled political economy, economic sociology, public finance, and regulatory economics.
Second Speaker: Victoria Bateman, Feminist Economist and Economic Historian
Victoria Bateman is a British feminist economist and economic historian. In this panel, she will explore the relationship between capitalism and feminism, specifically the welfare of women under market-based economic exchange. She is the author of the forthcoming book Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth and Power along with Naked Feminism: Breaking the Cult of Female Modesty (2023). She has twenty years of experience teaching economics at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and is known for her feminist activism in defence of women's bodily freedom.

Watch the video recording of Panel 2