Philosophy, Politics and Economics Research Showcase 2018
In September 2018 the Department of Philosophy welcomed the first cohort of Undergraduate Students on the University’s new Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) programme. In harmony with Strategy 2026, the programme represents a significant opportunity for effective synergies between research and the teaching and for new research collaboration between the three disciplines.
On the 29th of October, the School of the Arts hosted an inaugural Research Showcase highlighting research relevant to the programme. There were six speakers, each drawn from one of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Liverpool, with a brief introductory address given by the new PPE Program Director, Dr Ben Bramble. The event was an exciting opportunity for interdisciplinary engagement between researchers and students from the three disciplines.
Prof. Thomas Schramme from Philosophy spoke on ‘Social Justice from a Noncomparative Point of View’. Thomas defended a noncomparative theory of justice on which the primary aim of justice should be to ensure that each of us has enough, rather than (necessarily) the same as everyone else. He emphasised that a sufficiency requirement can still be quite demanding, depending on where the threshold is located. In a slogan, the main aim of justice, Thomas said, should be ensuring ‘inclusion, not equality’.
Dr Birte Gippert from Politics spoke on ‘Building Peace After War’. She was concerned with what our standards should be for peacekeeping and advocated for what she termed ‘positive peace’, which involves more than merely an end to violent conflict, but also such things as genuine reconciliation and economic revival.
Dr Erin Hengel from Economics spoke on ‘Discrimination and Women’s Underrepresentation in Academic Economics’. She presented some very interesting recent data suggesting that there is a systematic bias against women authors in the academic peer-review journal system.
Dr Nick Martin from Politics spoke on ‘Liberalism and Religious Exemptions’. He argued that exemptions from certain rules or laws might be appropriate for certain groups, though not because they are religious per se. It is rather because they hold certain beliefs sincerely, in the sense of being willing to ‘bear the costs of these beliefs’. This, he suggested, could explain why, for example, Pastafarians, while they might qualify as religious, are not entitled to exemptions.
Dr Supriya Garikipati from Economics spoke on ‘Women’s Empowerment’. She explored whether microcredit empowers women in certain developing countries. An important part of her conclusion was that the answer depends on how these women use their loans, and in particular, on whether and how they are enabled to use them.
Prof. David Hojman from Economics spoke on ‘Far Away, 400 Years Ago: Does It Matter for Economic Performance Today?’ He reflected on possible implications of the Dutch invasion of Chileo in 1600 for whether certain kinds of secrecy in social and economic policies and institutions might be beneficial for people today.