2013 Chicago Roundtable - Videos

What role do scholarly ideas play in influencing policy? How have they mattered for policies in different countries?

Coase Institute alumni and faculty examined these issues at a roundtable April 12, 2013 at the University of Chicago. See the videos below for highlights.

Panel at 2013 Chicago roundtable

The Presenters
Scott Gehlbach (University of Wisconsin-Madison) argued that during Russian privatization, ideas in Russia interacted with policy constraints to determine the specific designs of firm privatization.

Alberto Simpser (University of Chicago) discussed the technical role and the political economy role that ideas have played in the redesign of anti-poverty programs in Mexico, in particular the food subsidy programs.

Ning Wang (Arizona State University & Ronald Coase Institute) examined the introduction of the idea that practice should be the criterion for testing truth, and its subsequent impact on the market for ideas and China's transition to a modern economy.

The Discussants
Discussants were
Richard Epstein (New York University & University of Chicago),
Douglass North (Washington University in St. Louis), and
Sam Peltzman (University of Chicago).

Q & A
The program concluded with a question-and-answer session with the audience.
To watch a video, click on its controls


Scott Gehlbach


Alberto Simpser


Ning Wang


Richard Epstein


Douglass North


Sam Peltzman


Q & A


The roundtable was sponsored by the Coase Institute and the Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State, Booth School, University of Chicago. Mary Shirley (Ronald Coase Institute) chaired the session. The videos were filmed and edited by Philip Hsu.

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