The economics department will welcome Ariel Rubinstein for its annual George Staller Lecture Oct. 28.
“Ariel Rubinstein is one of the world’s most prominent economic theorists, with seminal work in game theory,” said Kaushik Basu, C. Marks Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics. “What makes him special is the philosopher’s touch that he brings to his writings.”
“Rubinstein’s lecture will show how norms and social arrangements can bring harmony to an environment with conflicting individual interests due to economy-wide feasibility constraints,” Basu said. “The invisible hand of social norms can do more than what is traditionally supposed.”
The annual lecture honors the life and achievements of Staller, who taught at Cornell for more than 49 years in the Department of Economics. He taught courses on the economies of the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc and comparative economic systems, as well as introductory macroeconomics courses. His research included studies that compared planned and free market economies, and analyses of industrial growth and industrial output within Soviet Eastern Europe. The Staller Lecture is made possible by a gift from Russell B. Hawkins '77.
The first lecture in his honor in 2009 brought Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen to speak, and since then the lecture series has featured professors from Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Northwestern and other universities.
The lecture will be hosted in Statler Hall Room 185 on Oct. 28 from 4-5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. More information about the history of the George Staller Lecture can be found on the Economics Department website.
