Joseph E. Stiglitz will deliver the 2014 RSA Scotland Angus Millar Lecture on the topic of Creating a Learning Society. The RSA’s blurb says:
It has long been recognised that most standard of living increases are associated with advances in technology, not accumulation of capital. And it has also become clear that what separates developed from less developed countries is not just a gap in resources or output, but a gap in knowledge. In fact, the pace at which developing countries grow is largely determined by the pace at which they can close that gap. Thus, in understanding how countries grow and develop, it is essential to learn how they learn and become more productive, and what government can do to promote learning.
Stiglitz will discuss this insight's significance for both economic theory and policy. Elaborating on the themes of his new book with fellow Columbia University economist Bruce Greenwald, Creating a Learning Society, Stiglitz will explain why the production of knowledge differs from that of other goods, and why market economies alone are typically not efficient in the production and transmission of knowledge. This perspective has implications for global trade regimes, industrial policy, and intellectual property regimes. In fact, virtually every government policy has impact on learning – something that policy makers must acknowledge in both developing and advanced countries.
It will be instructive to see the degree to which Stiglitz, who, for many, is something of a greenish guru, sets out a sustainability framing for all this learning he's keen on. After all, what subsequently gets done (and not done) is important – or is learning morally neutral these days?
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