IN CONVERSATION: GROWTH - A Reckoning with Daniel Susskind

"Daniel Susskind writes with verve, style and conviction about one of the most important issues of our age" - Rory Stewart

Over the past two centuries, economic growth has freed billions from poverty and made our lives far healthier and longer. As a result, the unfettered pursuit of growth defines economic life around the world. Yet this prosperity has come at an enormous price: deepening inequalities, destabilising technologies, environmental destruction and climate change.

Confusion reigns. For many, in our era of anaemic economic progress, the worry is slowing growth - in the UK, Europe, China and elsewhere. Others understandably claim, given its costs, that the only way forward is through 'degrowth', deliberating shrinking our economies.

Award-winning economist Daniel Susskind provides an essential reckoning at this time of uncertainty about growth and its value. In a sweeping analysis full of historical insight, he argues that we cannot abandon growth, but instead shows how we must redirect it, making it better reflect what we truly value. He explores what really drives growth, and offers original ideas for combatting our economic slowdown.

Daniel will be signing copies of his latest book, Growth: A Reckoning, published in April, which will be available to purchase on the night at a special Brighthink discounted price.

• DOORS OPEN : 18:30
• TALK STARTS : 19:00
• AUDIENCE Q&A : 20:00
• BOOK SIGNING : 20:30

AUTHOR Biography
Dr Daniel Susskind explores the impact of technology, and particularly AI, on work and society. He is a Research Professor in Economics at King’s College London, and a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University. He is the co-author of the best-selling book, The Future of the Professions (2015) and the author of A World Without Work (2020), described by The New York Times as "required reading for any potential presidential candidate thinking about the economy of the future”. His TED Talk, on the future of work, has been viewed more than 1.6 million times.

CHAIR Biography
Shqiponja Telhaj is a Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex and a Research Associate at the Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics. Her primary research interests are in Applied Microeconomics, especially Education and Labour Economics. 
Shqiponja’s work has appeared in leading economics journals such as Journal of Public Economics, Economic Journal, and her research findings have featured in numerous media outlets such as: BBC Radio 4, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Independent and many others.

Reviews for Growth: A Reckoning -
"Daniel Susskind is a compelling, insightful thinker on the largest and most fundamental economic topics. At a time when traditional notions of growth are increasingly being questioned, this book is profoundly important. Agree or disagree, anyone who wants to engage with the broad direction of economic policy needs to reckon with Susskind's views"
- Larry Summers

"What type of economic growth we should pursue, how much of it, and for whose benefit will becrucial questionsin the years to come, especially if current trends—more and more inequality, and an increasing concentration of power among the select few companies shaping the future of technology—continue. This well-written, thought-provoking book is essential reading for anybody interested in these epochal debates" -
Daron Acemoglu, author of WHY NATIONS FAIL

"For two centuries, economic growth has meant longer lives, better health, and material comfort. But has growth now come to an end? What can be done to restart the engine? Or should we halt growth deliberately, given its environmental costs? This panoramic book addresses the most fundamental economic questions from a deeply ethical perspective" -
Diane Coyle, Bennet Professor of Public Policy at Cambridge University and author of GDP: A BRIEF BUT AFFECTIONATE HISTORY

"Growth – the lack of it, the search for it, the barriers to it – is the challenge at the core of most political debates and with which all politicians struggle. Susskind's study is a tour de force." - Gordon Brown

"This is a wonderfully elegant and authoritative explanation-cum-manifesto for what is perhaps the most important economic issue facing us today - the mystery of economic growth and what we need to do to solve it" - Andy Haldane

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