How to Depolarize American Politics

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In celebration of the Arrow Lecture's 20th year, we welcome Eric Maskin, Adams University Professor and Professor of Economics and Mathematics at Harvard, and former student of the late Nobel Laureate Kenneth Arrow.

American politics is much more polarized now than fifty years ago, with a huge ideological gap between the Republican and Democratic Parties. So, one might hope that a raft of independent centrist candidates would jump into the fray and fill this hole. Unfortunately, such candidates cannot get elected under our current voting system. This lecture will show that there is a better system, called Majority Rule (or Condorcet Voting), that can get centrists into office and thereby help solve the polarization problem.

Please note that this event is in-person only, and RSVPs are requested to attend. Walk-ins are welcome.

Speaker Bio:

Eric Maskin is the Adams University Professor and Professor of Economics and Mathematics at Harvard. He has made contributions to game theory, contract theory, social choice theory, political economy, and other areas of economics. He received his A.B. and Ph.D. from Harvard and was a postdoctoral fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge University. He was a faculty member at MIT from 1977-1984, Harvard from 1985-2000, and the Institute for Advanced Study from 2000-2011. He rejoined the Harvard faculty in 2012. In 2007, he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics (with L. Hurwicz and R. Myerson) for laying the foundations of mechanism design theory.

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