On October 17th, the London Centre will be hosting a symposium on: “Academics Stand Against Poverty: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?”

This symposium will explore the question of whether, and if so how, academics should attempt to make direct public interventions on such issues as global poverty.

The focus of discussion will be a new intervention initiative launched in the UK, US, India and elsewhere by Professor Thomas Pogge of Yale University. The effort, ‘Academics Stand Against Poverty‘, seeks to leverage academic expertise in contributing to real-time poverty alleviation. An exemplar is Professor Pogge’s own Health Impact Fund, aimed at providing monetary incentives for pharmaceutical firms to address diseases afflicting mainly those in the Global South.

Respondents include some of the UK’s most prominent moral philosophers and development specialists. They will explore possibilities for expanding academic impact and intervention on global poverty, as well as the challenges that an effort such as Academics Stand Against Poverty is likely to face.

Speakers will include: Thomas Pogge, Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs, Yale University; Baroness Professor Onora O’Neill, Cambridge University; Professor Leif Wenar, King’s College London and Roger Riddell, former International Director for Christian Aid.

Chair and event contact: Luis Cabrera, Reader in Political Theory, University of Birmingham. a.l.cabrera@bham.ac.uk

Event Sponsors:
University of Notre Dame London Centre
University of Birmingham

Additional Sponsors: Comparative Research Programme on Poverty (CROP), University of Bergen; Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE), Australian Research Council

Attendance must be arranged in advance – bookings can be made through the ASAP website.