Economics Events

Guney Isikara: Marx's Theory of Value at the Frontiers

Book discussion.  Marx's Theory of Value at the Frontiers takes a deep dive into the fundamentals of value theory to investigate two contemporary questions: imperialism and the ecological breakdown. Güney Işıkara, the co-author of the book, joins John Jay Economics Department seminars to discuss international value transfers and ground rent, and what their new empirical approach adds to our understanding of the geopolitical shifts in the last decades."

March 19, Room L. 76, 1:40-3:00 PM

Brian Callaci: Chains of Command: The Rise and Cruel Reign of the Franchise Economy  

Professor Brian Callaci will be giving a talk for his new book, Chains of Command: The Rise and Cruel Reign of the Franchise Economy. The book analyzes how the franchise model has grown to dominate the U.S. economy, allowing large corporations to exert control over "independent" franchisees and workers while outsourcing employment and liability. The book details the history of franchising, its legal evolution, and its impact on labor, arguing that franchisors have used lobbying and litigation to reshape corporate law in their favor, creating a system of centralized control under the guise of small business ownership.  

April 15, Room L2.84, 1:40-3:00 PM 

 Ellora Derenoncourt: Labor Market Institutions and Racial Inequality 

Ellora Derenoncourt: Labor Market Institutions and Racial Inequality Professor Derenoncourt is a labor economist from Princeton, who will discuss several of her recent which analyze the effect of labor market institutions, such as the minimum wage and union membership, on racial inequality.  

April 27, Room, L.84 NB, 1:40-3:00 PM 

Book Launch: Against Money

Authors: J.W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev

In this revelatory book, economists J. W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev explain how and why money is so deeply misunderstood by the world it dominates—as well as the dangerous social implications of this misunderstanding. Against Money tackles the most dearly held “truths” of economics, arguing that the world of money has never been an impartial representation of the world of things. Instead, its existence in different forms—debt, capital, liquidity, and interest—increasingly shapes events in the real world rather than just reflecting them. Sometimes money enables new forms of cooperation; more oftenit facilitates domination. Human existence is not just facilitated by money but also governed by it.

May 8, Room 9.64 NB, 6:00-8:00 PM