Events

The Journey of Humanity: The Origin of Wealth and Inequality

What are the keys to human progress? In the last two hundred years, stunning advances in health, wealth and lifespan have fundamentally transformed the experience of being human, at least for some. But this was no accident of history. In this Quantitative History Webinar, Oded Galor of Brown University will talk about his latest book The Journey of Humanity: The Origins of Wealth and Inequality (published in 30 languages), taking us through a captivating journey from the dawn of human existence to the present. Join us online as we reframe our understanding of human history for answers.

Drawing on a lifetime’s investigation, Oded Galor identifies the universal forces behind this change, and so unlocks the mystery of human development. Galor’s breakthrough vision upends many assumptions. The game-changing revolution of recent centuries was not industrialisation but mass education; not the era of child labour but the end of it. New technology can enhance living standards – but it has done so only by reducing family size and spurring greater gender equality. Meanwhile, differing levels of diversity, stemming from patterns of human migration tens of thousands of years ago, have been as powerful in determining the fate of nations as colonialism or geography.

With discussant: Y. C. Richard Wong, Chair of Economics and Philip Wong Kennedy Wong Professor in Political Economy, HKU

Live on Zoom on October 20, 2022
9:00 Hong Kong/Beijing/Singapore
10:00 Tokyo | 12:00 Sydney
Previous Day 18:00 Los Angeles | 21:00 New York

The Quantitative History Webinar Series aims to provide researchers, teachers, and students with an online intellectual platform to keep up to date with the latest research in the field, promoting the dissemination of research findings and interdisciplinary use of quantitative methods in historical research. The Series, now in its third year, is co-organized by the International Society for Quantitative History, HKU Business School, and Hong Kong Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences. 量化歷史網上講座系列由香港大學陳志武和馬馳騁教授聯合發起並舉辦，旨在介紹前沿量化歷史研究成果、促進同仁交流，推廣量化方法在歷史研究中的應用。本系列講座由國際量化歷史學會、香港大學經管學院和香港人文社會研究所全力支持和承辦。

Conveners:
Professor Zhiwu Chen
Dr. Chicheng Ma