2026 Harcourt Public Lecture
Description
2026 Harcourt Public Lecture
The School of Economics is delighted to present the 2026 Harcourt Public Lecture, a signature event celebrating the life, work and enduring legacy of renowned economist Professor Geoffrey Colin Harcourt (1931-2021).
This year’s lecture will bring together leading international economic thinkers for an evening of insight, discussion and engagement. The Econometric Society is an international society dedicated to the advancement of economic theory through its relationship with statistics and mathematics, operating as an independent scientific organisation without political, social, financial or national bias.
We are pleased to announce that the 2026 Harcourt Public Lecture will be delivered by Nobel Laureate Professor James A. Robinson, who will share his expertise and perspectives with the Adelaide community ahead of his participation in the ESAM Conference later in the week.
Event Details
Date: Monday, 23 November 2026
Time: 5:30pm to 7:00pm
Location: The Braggs Lecture Theatre, City East Campus
Format: The lecture will include a 45-minute keynote presentation, followed by a 45-minute audience question and answer session, providing attendees with the opportunity to engage directly with one of the world’s leading economists.
The Geoff Harcourt Visiting Professorship and Public Lecture Series has been proudly hosted since 2006, generously supported by alumni and organisations who share his commitment to advancing economic thought and education.
Following the establishment of Adelaide University in 2026, this lecture marks the first Harcourt Public Lecture to be presented under the Adelaide University banner. The series was previously hosted by the University of Adelaide and remains a valued tradition of the School of Economics, continuing Geoff Harcourt’s legacy of fostering innovative economic research, discussion and education for future generations.
Please register your attendance by Monday, 16 November 2026, to secure your place.
For further enquiries, please contact the School of Economics via email: economics@adelaide.edu.au
Join us for this special event as we honour Geoff Harcourt’s remarkable legacy and hear from one of the world’s most influential contemporary economists.
Guest Speaker
Nobel Laureate Professor James A. Robinson
James A. Robinson is a British-American economist and political scientist, and a University Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, where he also holds appointments in the political science department and the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought. He previously taught at Harvard University from 2004 to 2015, holding the David Florence and Wilbur A. Cowett professorships of government, and led the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. In 2024, Professor Robinson was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, jointly with longtime collaborator Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, for their comparative research on how institutions shape prosperity across nations. Professor Robinson's scholarship centers on political economy, comparative politics, and economic and political development, combining the quantitative methods of economics with case-study and fieldwork approaches drawn from the wider social sciences. He has conducted research across a wide range of countries, including Botswana, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. With Acemoglu, he co-authored three influential books: Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy (2006), which theorized the emergence and stability of democratic and authoritarian regimes; Why Nations Fail (2012), translated into 51 languages, which argues that inclusive political and economic institutions—rather than culture, geography, or climate—explain divergent national trajectories; and The Narrow Corridor (2019), which examines how liberty depends on a balance of power between state and society. Professor Robinson holds a BSc in economics from the London School of Economics, an MA in economics from the University of Warwick, and a PhD in economics from Yale University. He received honorary doctorates from many universities around the world, including the University of Melbourne where he worked as Lecturer in Economics from 1992 to 1995. He has a particular interest in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, teaches annually at the University of the Andes in Bogotá, and is a Fellow at the Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
About Geoffrey Colin Harcourt
Geoffrey Harcourt
Professor Geoffrey Colin Harcourt was a distinguished economist whose influential work shaped the fields of post-Keynesian economics, capital theory and the history of economic thought. Born in Melbourne in 1931, Geoff studied at the University of Melbourne and the University of Cambridge before joining the University of Adelaide’s School of Economics in 1958, where he became Professor in 1967. During his nearly three decades at the University of Adelaide, Professor Harcourt made significant contributions to economic scholarship and education, inspiring generations of students and researchers through his commitment to rigorous analysis, intellectual curiosity and human-centred economic policy. Across more than six decades, he authored, co-authored, edited or co-edited 33 volumes and more than 400 articles, book chapters and reviews. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to economics and higher education, Professor Harcourt was awarded the University of Adelaide Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015 and appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2018 for his eminent service to higher education and economic scholarship. Professor Harcourt was a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and the United Kingdom, and was recognised internationally for his contributions to economic thought and policy. His research interests included the history of economic theory, intellectual biography, post-Keynesian theory and its application to economic policy. The Geoff Harcourt Visiting Professorship and Public Lecture Series has been proudly hosted since 2006, generously supported by alumni and organisations who share his commitment to advancing economic thought and education.
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