Nobel Prize Winner Daron Acemoglu Speaks on Remaking Liberalism

Co-winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics, Professor Daron Acemoglu, will deliver the 2026 PPE Distinguished Public Lecture at Virginia Tech.

Daron Acemoglu is Institute Professor in the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Professor Acemoglu is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometric Society, and the National Academy of Sciences. He also serves on the editorial boards of multiple leading economics journals and is a founding co-director of MIT’s Blueprint Labs.

Professor Acemoglu’s research spans a wide array of topics in political economy, development economics, economic growth, technological change, and inequality, exploring the deep historical and institutional foundations of prosperity and poverty. Together with James A. Robinson, he is the author of Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty (2013), a global bestseller that challenges conventional explanations of economic development and underscores the role of political and economic institutions.

Professor Acemoglu has received numerous awards, including the John Bates Clark Medal in 2005 and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in 2018. In 2024, together with Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson, he won the Nobel Prize in Economics for his pioneering work on the interplay between technological progress, labor markets, and democratic institutions, highlighting how institutional choices and technology shape societal outcomes.

Professor Acemoglu’s work is driven by the conviction that economics must engage with the real world, offering insights not only into how the economy functions, but also how it can be shaped to serve human flourishing.

At Virginia Tech, Professor Acemoglu will speak about his forthcoming book on remaking liberalism, which is scheduled to appear in the summer of 2026.

The virtual lecture will take place on April 8, 2026, from 5-6:30pm (Eastern Time). Advance registration is required for this event. The registration link will be provided closer to the event.

All faculty, students, and members of the public are cordially invited to attend this event.

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

(Photo provided by Daron Acemoğlu – used with permission. Photo credit – Bryce Vickmark.)