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On 8 October 2024, UNESCO will officially launch the Albert Hirschman Lectures, a novel and prestigious modality designed to promote interdisciplinary dialogue on pressing global challenges and catalyze intellectual exploration in the social sciences for future generations of scholars, policy-makers, civil society actors, and activists. 

This honors one of the most diverse, influential and impactful scholars in the field of social sciences, Albert Otto Hirschman. Known for his foundational work in development economics and his unique approach to understanding social change, Hirschman’s life is characterized by a deep commitment to academic rigor with pragmatic problem-solving. His contributions spanned economics, politics, social change, and global development. The lectures will continue his internationalist spirit by fostering interdisciplinary conversations on some of the most pressing global challenges of our time. 

Through the modality of an annual lecture, UNESCO presents a platform for high-caliber intellectuals and renowned scholars from various disciplines to discuss global issues in an interdisciplinary context. Reflecting Hirschman’s diverse academic scope, the lectures will not only help unpack complexities in economic and political challenges but also spur broader reflections on multilateralism and social change. 

UNESCO is delighted to invite you to the inaugural session of the Albert Hirschman Lecture, featuring Daron Acemoglu and moderated by Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences.

Acemoglu is a distinguished Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and one of the world’s most prominent economists. Acemoglu’s work focuses on political economy, institutions, and economic development. He is best known for co-authoring the influential book Why Nations Fail, and more recently, Power and Progress: our thousand-year struggle over technology and prosperity. The new work examines how technological advancements, especially AI, could worsen economic inequality and threaten democracy unless appropriate actions are taken. The global impact of Acemoglu’s empirical and theoretical work on institutions, culture, growth, inequalities - and more recently on innovation, labor, and automation - makes him an ideal speaker to kick off this lecture series. 
 

Gustavo Merino, Director of Social Policies, Social and Human Sciences, g.merino@unesco.org

Mathilde Rodrigues, Associate Programme Specialist, Management of Social Transformations (MOST), Social and Human Sciences, m.rodrigues@unesco.org