Last Wednesday, two leading academics came together at the Isabel Bader Theatre to discuss the political and economic prospects for the current generation in an unequal world. The annual Keith Davey Forum on Public Affairs, jointly hosted by the Department of Political Science, Victoria College, and the Association of Political Science Students (APSS), brought together Jeffrey Arnett, professor of psychology at Clark University, and Miles Corak, professor of economics at the University of Ottawa. The event was moderated by Rodney Haddow, associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto.
Past topics addressed by the forum have included drone warfare, the effect of social media on democracy, the effect of inequality on democracy, and the place for religion in the secular state.
This year, both visiting experts gave presentations on their ideas about the future place of young people in an increasingly unequal world. Arnett gave a brief talk about his psychological research on young people and education, followed by a talk by Corak on his own researchon intergenerational mobility and the importance of labour markets and social policy.
The presentations were followed by a 30-minute Q&A session where students had the chance to engage with the speakers.
Emily Tsui, APSS president, said the structure of the event allowed the audience to directly engage with the topic. “I thought it was great that we had experts from very different fields — not specifically political science — who could provide thought-provoking perspectives on the topic. I think it allowed people to engage in the debate a lot more. It was also good that we were able to make the issue more Canadian-focused this year,” Tsui said.
Students, many of whom were not political science students, said the forum caused them to think about inequality in a different light.
“The forum made me consider the idea of free education and how feasible that would be. In theory, it’s a very good idea,” said James Regan, a first-year equity studies and political science student.
Lukas van Arragon, a first-year archaeology student, said that the forum prompted him to think about the issue of inequality from a different perspective. “The topic was engaging and I found the psychological perspective provided by professor Arnett very interesting,” said van Arragon.
