Debates over redistribution, social insurance, and market regulation are central to American politics. Why do some citizens prefer a large role for government in the economic life of the nation while others wish to limit its reach? In Open versus Closed, my co-authors and I argue that these preferences are not always what they seem. We show how deep-seated personality traits underpinning the culture wars over race, immigration, law and order, sexuality, gender roles, and religion shape how citizens think about economics, binding cultural and economic inclinations together in unexpected ways.

Debates over redistribution, social insurance, and market regulation are central to American politics. Why do some citizens prefer a large role for government in the economic life of the nation while others wish to limit its reach? In Open versus Closed, my co-authors and I argue that these preferences are not always what they seem. We show how deep-seated personality traits underpinning the culture wars over race, immigration, law and order, sexuality, gender roles, and religion shape how citizens think about economics, binding cultural and economic inclinations together in unexpected ways.

Dr. Clare Chambers is University Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and Fellow in Philosophy at Jesus College, Cambridge. She has published widely in contemporary political philosophy and is the author of three books: Sex, Culture, and Justice: The Limits of Choice (Penn State University Press, 2008); Teach Yourself Political Philosophy: A Complete Introduction (Hodder, 2012, with Phil Parvin); and, most recently, Against Marriage: An Egalitarian Defence of the Marriage-Free State (OUP, 2017).

The two-day conference will provide a constructive forum for graduate students to present high-quality work in political theory, exchange ideas with peers, and receive feedback from leading academics in the field. The keynote lecture will be delivered by Dr. Clare Chambers, University Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.

This one-day conference explores how the costs of war have been defined by policymakers, combatants, and societies, as well as by scholars and commentators. The papers will reflect comparatively on definitions of cost, as well as examining the impact, meaning and perception of costs in human, social, political, financial, economic, environmental, technological, moral and symbolic terms.

Programme:

9.00 - Welcome: Guillaume Piketty and Peter H. Wilson
9.15 - Session 1 |Chair: Guillaume Piketty

The main objective of this paper is to provide localized evidence about the mechanisms that may link oil wealth with the use of armed force against civilians by non-state armed groups in Colombia. Violence is studied in all three of the standard dimensions: onset, duration and intensity. This paper reports evidence on a subnational variant of a mechanism termed by the literature state-as-target.

The programme will consist of panel discussions on Alan Ryan's contributions to normative political and social theory and the history of political thought.

Lunch will be provided.

At the ‘conversation style’ event, “Rethinking the Peace Negotiations in Colombia”, we will take stock of the major challenges and opportunities in the context of the peace talks with the FARC, reflect on the current situation of the peace deal implementation, and consider the way forward in light of the elections. The event will be co-hosted by CCW’s "From Conflict Actors to Architects of Peace" (CONPEACE) programme and the Blavatnik School of Government.