The annual Lamson Lecture was initiated by the Economics Department in honor of Professor George Lamson, a longtime colleague and friend, who died unexpectedly in China in 2002. His devotion to his students was extraordinary and he followed their careers with interest over the years. The Lamson Lecturers are Carleton economics alums who have gone on to make significant contributions to the field and to society.
2024 Lamson Lecture
“Economic Growth and Global Inequality” by Dr. Jenny Minier ’92
4:00pm, October 31, 2024 ~Weitz 236
Over the last 200 years, the world has experienced unprecedented economic growth, but this growth has been accompanied by increases in inequality within and between countries. Jenny will talk about the extent of inequality today, how we got here, and why it matters for economic research and policy.
About the lecturer:
Professor Jenny Minier is currently the Julian Lange Professor of Economics and Chair of the Economics Department at Miami University (Ohio). Her research is primarily in economic growth and international trade, and has been published in top economics journals including the Journal of Monetary Economics, American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings, and The Review of Economics and Statistics.
Minier was a Fulbright Scholar in Belgium on a research grant in 2012, and has served as a Co-Editor of the Southern Economic Journal and as an economics review panelist for the National Science Foundation. She was previously on the faculty at the University of Kentucky, where she directed the Ph.D. program in Economics for three years and the Center for Business and Economic Research for one year. Prior to that, she was on the faculty at the University of Miami (FL). Her Ph.D. is from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her undergraduate degree is from Carleton College.
Past Lectures
2023: “Economic Research and Monetary Policy: A Career at the Fed” by Joshua Gallin, Economics ’92, Secretary to the Federal Open Market committee, Federal Reserve Board
Josh talked about his career at the Federal Reserve Board, from a brand-new research economist to Senior Special Adviser to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to Secretary to the Federal Open Market Committee. He reflected on the intersection of his academic research and policy work, his career decisions, and his experiences at the Fed during the Global Financial Crisis, the Great Recession, and COVID. (No insights into current Fed policy were provided!)
2022 Lamson Lecture by John Karl Scholz ’81
“Economics In and Out of the Ivory Tower”, a lecture by Dr. John Karl Scholz ’81, former Dean of the College of Letters & Science, now currently serving as Provost, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Fall 2018 Lamson Lecture by Jamie Glover ’06
“From Liberal Arts to Corporate to Social Impact Entrepreneur – How the Right Idea Can Change Everything”: A lecture by Jamie Glover ’06, Co-Founder and President of Asiya Modest Activewear
2016 Lamson Lecture by Kimberly Clausing ’91
“The Challenge of Taxing Multinational Firms in a Global Economy”: A lecture by Kimberly Clausing ’91, Thormund A. Miller and Walter Mintz Professor of Economics, Reed College
2014 Lamson Lecture by Jeffrey Sundberg ’82
“An Economic & Environmental Analysis of Conservation Easements” by Jeffrey Sundberg ’82, James S. Kemper Foundation Professor of Liberal Arts and Business, Lake Forest College