AV¶ÌÊÓƵ

Solari Lecture 2025 by Professor Charles F. Manski: Social Planning Under Uncertainty

Thursday 5 June 2025 | 6 pm | Room MR 280, Uni Mail

The Solari Lecture 2025 will welcome Professor Charles F. Manski,Ìý His lecture will draw on his latest book Discourse on Social Planning under Uncertainty (Cambridge, 2025).

Economists have long studied policy choice by social planners aiming to maximize population welfare, generally assuming that enough is known about the choice environment to determine an optimal action. However, the consequences of decisions are often highly uncertain. The lecture addresses the failure of research to come to grips with this uncertainty. Combining research across three fields – welfare economics, decision theory, and econometrics – it offers a comprehensive treatment that fleshes out a 'worldview' and juxtaposes it with other viewpoints, building on multiple case studies, ranging from medical treatment to climate policy.

The Solari Lecture welcomes distinguished guests specialized in economics and econometrics, in memory of Luigi Solari, professor at the AV¶ÌÊÓƵ and pioneer in introducing research in econometrics in Switzerland. Since its first edition in 1979, this conference has featured several notable guest speakers, e.g., Jan Tinbergen, Richard Stone, Robert Engle, Bengt Holmstrom, Jean Tirole, and Esther Duflo.

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Biography

Charles F. Manski is Board of Trustees Professor in Economics at Northwestern AV¶ÌÊÓƵ. His influential research contributions span over 200Ìý articles on econometrics, judgment and decision, medical economics, analysis of public policy, and other topics. He has also authored nine books.

Professor Manski is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the Econometric Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Statistical Association, and the British Academy. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association.

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