Festschrift for Alan Kirman

Alan Kirman has made important contributions to the fields of economics and policy. His original interests focused mainly on theoretical economics, in particular general equilibrium theory and game theory. However, as problems with the foundations of modern theoretical economics became clearer, his interests have turned to looking at the empirical evidence as to how the economy in general and some markets in particular function. He has become increasingly involved in modelling the economy and markets as complex adaptive systems in which aggregate behaviour emerges from the interaction between rather simple economic agents with limited knowledge and has argued that economic actors are perhaps closer to ants than to homo economicus.

This two-day event celebrates the contributions of Alan covering themes such as heterogeneity and aggregation; interaction and emergence, co-operative and non-co-operative behaviour; market and network structures; equilibrium and non-equilibrium solutions; and application of economic theory and policy. It concludes by discussing what insights from his career mean for the future of economics. Papers submitted and presented at the conference will be published as a volume of research in honour of Alan’s contributions to economics.

Confirmed keynote speakers: 

• Sam Bowles (Research Professor, Santa Fe Institute)
• Jim Heckman (Winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, University of Chicago)
• Lucrezia Reichlin (London Business School)
• Joe Stiglitz (Winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Columbia University)

Rebuilding Macroeconomics was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and is part of the Institute for Global Prosperity at UCL. Its long-term aim is to transform macroeconomics back into a policy relevant social science. Its strategy is to support interdisciplinary research and new methods of analysis in macroeconomics.