The Fading Dream
Economist John N. Friedman has made a career researching the causes of inequality and its long-term consequences for children in the US. His findings are grim. Social mobility is in sharp decline. Where you live and go to school increasingly determines your success and future. Joining fellow economist, Richard Holden, Friedman will explore how policy can harness schools, neighbourhoods, universities, and social capital to reverse this trend, and revive a fading “American Dream” of progress and social mobility. Explore what this could mean in a country like Australia.
This session is made possible with the support of The Paul Ramsay Foundation.
Supported By
John N. Friedman [USA]
John N. Friedman is the Briger Family Distinguished Professor of Economics and International and Public Affairs at Brown University, as well as a founding co-Director of Opportunity Insights. His work uses big data to study the causes and consequences of inequality for kids, as well as policies to improve opportunity for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. His work has appeared in top academic journals as well as in major media outlets, has been cited by President Obama in his 2012 State of the Union Address, and has shaped policies at the federal, state, and local level. Most recently, John and his colleagues at Opportunity Insights have published work showing that the key to greater access and mobility within America’s most selective universities schools lies within their admissions process. He worked as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the National Economic Council in the White House. He is also a Research Associate at NBER and Co-Editor at the flagship journal in the profession, the American Economic Review. He currently serves as Chair of the Brown University Economics Department and is a member of the Treasury Advisory Council on Racial Equity (TACRE).
Richard Holden
Richard Holden is the inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Professor, Chief Societal Economist, and Director of the Manos Institute for Cognitive Economics at UNSW Sydney. He was previously on the faculty at MIT and the University of Chicago and earned a PhD from Harvard University. He has published numerous papers in top economics journals and is a weekly columnist at The Australian Financial Review. His latest book is The Lost Decade, to be published by Harper Collins in early 2027.
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The views and opinions expressed by the Festival participants are not necessarily the views of The Ethics Centre and our partners.