Festival of Economics to return to Bristol this November

Now in its 12th year, the annual Festival of Economics returns, with economists and experts from around the world invited to Bristol to debate the key economic questions of our time. Bristol Ideas is presenting this year’s festival with the Economics Observatory to bring together economists, policy makers, academics and the public to discuss the challenges our society and economy are facing, and some of the possible solutions.

This year’s Festival of Economics will run from 13-16 November 2023 and is co-programmed by Diane Coyle (Professor of Public Policy, University of Cambridge and author of Cogs and Monsters) and Richard Davies (Professor at Bristol University and author of Extreme Economies). Topics on the agenda this year include the UK’s health and social care needs, the future of home ownership and our increasing demand for housing, the role of technology and the consulting industry in our economy, the looming debt crisis, and the burgeoning global food crisis and the inflation impacting food supply.

Technology is always a common discussion point at the Festival of Economics, and this year, author and Cambridge University Professor of Politics David Runciman will examine the question of ‘The Singularity,' the perceived ultimate break point in human history when we come face-to-face with machines that have minds of their own. He argues that we have already reached that point, and that states and corporations are these entities: powerful robots, able to make decisions and act for themselves. Sky News Economics Editor Ed Conway joins us to discuss his new book, Material World, which looks at how the battle for six minerals – sand, iron, salt, oil, copper and lithium – will shape our future, because they power our homes, technology and, in turn, our entire modern world. 

The Economics Observatory return to the festival with its Talking Economics series of discussions and debates, the first of which is a panel discussion on food supply, inflation and why food has become so expensive. Continuing this discussion, we’ve invited a panel of top economists and food retailers to look at the future of food in the UK and what changing diets, new farming technologies and the increasing impacts of climate change will have on food supply chains. Plus, South Korean economist Ha-Joon Chang will use the medium of food stories around the world to explain economic theory.

As well as talks with authors and academics, the Festival will host panel discussions and podcast recordings with top journalists, endeavouring to demystify the world of economics and make it easier to understand for all. Tim Harford will return to the Festival of Economics for a recording of his hit podcast Cautionary Tales at St George’s Bristol, telling true stories about economic mistakes from history and what we should learn from them. We’ll also welcome the Financial Times’s money-making expert Claer Barrett for a recording of the Money Clinic podcast at Bristol Grammar School. She’ll run audiences through everything they need to know about investing – and where to begin if you’re new to it, as well as how to build a secure financial future.

With the ongoing pressures on the health and social care sector, we’ve gathered a panel of writers, activists, academics and policy advisors to debate the UK’s long-term health and care needs, against the backdrop of changing demographics and an increasingly ageing population. Our evolving care needs extend to the childcare sector, so a panel of industry experts will examine the social cost of our failing childcare system. But what effect will the cost-of-living crisis, falling fertility rates and enduring impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have on the next generation? We ask a panel of academics, journalists and the founder of children’s food brand Ella’s Kitchen to hypothesise about the future for Generation Alpha – whether they’ll ever be able to retire, have their own children or own property. Home ownership is also on the agenda for our panel discussion with Dame Katharine Mary Barker from the Bank of England, who joins academics and property journalists to discuss how we can build enough homes quickly and sustainably to meet the ever-increasing demand. 

Our economy has taken several major hits over the last few years, so University of Oxford’s Fellow in Economics Linda Yueh will tackle the question of how to prevent a future economic crash, suggesting a few ways that we can spot the early signs and mitigate its effects. Huw Pill, Chief Economist of the Bank of England, and Jagjit Chadha, Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, will discuss whether there is a looming debt crisis – and what central banks can and should do about it. They’ll look at the effect of rising interest rates and where the UK’s monetary policy is headed. 

Economists Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington’s book The Big Con aims to debunk the myth that consultancies add value to the economy. They join us at this year’s Festival of Economics to expose the ways our economy’s reliance on consultancy companies stunts innovation, complicates corporate and political accountability and impedes our mission of halting the climate crisis. 

To tie in with the release of his book Uncommon Wealth: Britain and the Aftermath of Empire, Kojo Koram (Senior Lecturer in Law at Birkbeck) reflects on Britain’s disastrous treatment of independent countries after the empire, and how those decisions continue to impact Britain and its economy today. Looking ahead to the future, our final Talking Economics event of the festival remembers the legacy of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and considers what his vision for the future of UK infrastructure might have been for the second half of the 21st century if he was alive today. 

Alongside these discussions and debates, there will be opportunities for the public to get involved, share their stories and ask questions about our economy. The Bank of England Citizens’ Panel invites people to discuss how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting them, their spending and plans for the future. Bristol-based financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown will run a breakfast session, with expert speakers discussing financial resilience and what it means for the UK economy and its businesses, inviting questions from the audience to members of its team.

To view the Festival's full programme, visit the Bristol Ideas website.