Date: 02.06.2025
Time: 14:00 EEST (Helsinki time)
Place: Online via Zoom (Zoom link)
ARGUMENTA DISTINGUISHED LECTURE
The ReSES project is happy to announce an upcoming online public lecture titled “The Measure of Progress” to be delivered by Diane Coyle. This event is part of the Argumenta Distinguished Lectures series organized by ReSES at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki. Diane Coyle’s lecture is jointly organised by ReSES and TINT – Centre for Philosophy of Social Science.
Professor Diane Coyle is the Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. Professor Coyle co-directs the Bennett Institute where she heads research under the themes of progress and productivity. Coyle is also a Director of the Productivity Institute, a Fellow of the Office for National Statistics, and an expert adviser to the National Infrastructure Commission. She has served in public service roles including as Vice Chair of the BBC Trust, member of the Competition Commission, of the Migration Advisory Committee and of the Natural Capital Committee. Coyle was Professor of Economics at the University of Manchester until March 2018 and was awarded a DBE for her contribution to economic policy in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours.
Professor Coyle’s latest book is The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters, which will be the topic of her Argumenta Distinguished Lecture on June 2.
The ways that statisticians and governments measure the economy were developed in the 1940s, when the urgent economic problems were entirely different from those of today. In her talk, Diane Coyle will argue that the framework underpinning today’s economic statistics is so outdated that it functions as a distorting lens, or even a set of blinkers. When policymakers rely on such an antiquated conceptual tool, how can they measure, understand, and respond with any precision to what is happening in today’s digital economy? Coyle will make the case for a new framework, one that takes into consideration current economic realities.
Coyle will explain why economic statistics matter and argue that to understand the current economy, we need different data collected in a different framework of categories and definitions, and she will offer some suggestions about what this would entail. She will argue that only with a new approach to measurement will we be able to achieve the right kind of growth for the benefit of all.
Join us on June 2 at 14:00 (EEST) to hear Professor Coyle’s vision for rethinking economic measurement in the 21st century.
The ReSES project aims to rethink how economics can better serve society. The project’s Argumenta Distinguished Lectures series provides a platform for leading experts to present ideas that challenge conventional economic thought and promote societal well-being. Professor Coyle’s lecture, “The Measure of Progress” is a significant addition to this series.
The lecture is free and open to the public, reflecting the ReSES project’s dedication to making scholarly discussions accessible to a broad audience.
The ReSES Project received funding from the Finnish Cultural Foundation in 2023 & 2024.