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You are here: ICR : Events : Lectures : Autumn 2008Speaker: Dr Peter Lunn
27 September
Economists have long assumed that people can, at least approximately, be thought of as independent, selfish calculating machines. But a relatively new school of thought, behavioural economics, is busy proving otherwise. Pete Lunn's lecture will outline the classic findings for a general audience, explaining what they show and why they matter. Economic experiments, scenarios and field studies suggest that mutual cooperation, trust and generosity are instinctive – fundamental aspects of human nature, part evolved, part learned. These economic instincts, largely ignored by mainstream economics, counterbalance our self-interest and are essential forces in the workings of the economy. A revolution is underway in economic thought, driven by a more sophisticated understanding of human nature.
DR PETER LUNN is the author of Basic Instincts: Human Nature and the New Economics (Marshall Cavendish, 2008). He is an economist at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Dublin. Pete originally trained a neuroscientist, receiving a Ph.D. in human perception from the University of London at just 24 years of age. He then spent over a decade in journalism, mostly with BBC Newsnight in London, but also in Ireland, where he was founding editor of the country's first specialist talk radio station, NewsTalk. His work in television and radio has won several national awards. A former English Speaking Union scholar, Pete specialises in bringing original or complex ideas to wider audiences. After re-qualifying as an economist, he now devotes his energies to policy research and to spreading new economic thinking.
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