Kaushik Basu Speaks on Democracy, Authoritarianism and Collective Moral Responsibility

Kaushik Basu, Professor of Economics and Carl Marks Professor of International Studies at the Department of Economics and the SC Johnson College of Business (Cornell University), will give a talk with the title Democracy, Authoritarianism and Collective Moral Responsibility.

The talk will take place on April 30, 2025, from 4-5:30pm, in Assembly Hall of the Holtzman Alumni Center. This event is co-organized by the Department of Economics at Virginia Tech.

The talk is tailored to appeal to both faculty and students, with plenty of time for discussion and interaction with the guest speaker. You are cordially invited to attend.

Here is the abstract of the talk: The lecture will discuss the conditions under which democracy tends to erode and will go on to analyze the foundations of authoritarianism. This, in turn, raises important questions concerning our collective moral responsibility. It will be shown that this is a more complex matter than popularly assumed, giving rise to some paradoxes. The lecture will discuss these and show how we can get some insights by using strategic reasoning.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten days before the event.

(Image provided by Kaushik Basu – used with permission)