Prof. Kaushik Basu: “Moral Responsibility and the Republic of Beliefs”

We have examples from around the world of dismal group behavior, from behavior that does environmental damage and discriminates against groups, to polarization and war, provoked by political leaders. How do we conceptualize and understand these forces and the power of political leaders, and how do we apportion moral responsibility for such behavior? The lecture will show how it is possible to get a deeper understanding of these age-old questions, going back to the Age of Enlightenment and even earlier, by using ideas from modern game theory, from those of John Nash to Thomas Schelling. The lecture will also speculate about the role of conventions, and how we could use these to build safeguards to ensure responsible collective behavior.

is Professor of Economics and the Carl Marks Professor of International Studies at Cornell University.
He has served as President of the International Economic Association (2017-2021), Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank (2012-2016), and Chief Economic Adviser to the Indian Government, 2009-2012. Please find more information about Prof. Kaushik Basu on his website.