The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute recently welcomed Emre Balikci for his lecture, “What Can Economists Do to Turn the Tide of Populism?” The session drew an exceptionally engaged audience, highlighted by an active Q&A segment.
“I received more than 30 questions,” Balikci said, “This showed how much the broader community appreciated a discussion on populism and its relationship to how we practice science.”
Balikci described the invitation to speak as a meaningful one. “I felt very privileged and was very happy to see that the work I have done at Boise State is appreciated by people outside the university,” he said. He praised Osher attendees as “one of the nicest communities one can encounter,” encouraging fellow faculty to consider presenting there.
In his talk, Balikci offered a candid critique of recent trends in economic theory and policy-making, arguing that the field has become more and more closed minded.
“I criticized the direction economic theory and economic policy making have taken in recent years, as they have become increasingly intolerant of alternative voices,” Balkici said. This narrowing has “created an undemocratic environment for policy formation which set the stage for populist politics.”
His presentation concluded with calls for a more inclusive and democratic economic paradigm, one that welcomes perspectives from economists and the broader public as a whole.