International Speaker Series: Dr. Philip Auerswald

Event Date:
January 24, 2013 – 3:30 PM to January 25, 2013 – 4:59 PM

Location:
Dale Halton Reading Room, Atkins Library

The International Speaker Series continues with author and economist Dr. Philip Auerswald who will discuss ideas from his new book. “The Coming Prosperity: How Entrepreneurs are Transforming the Global Economy.”

Auerswald is Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University and a Senior Fellow at the Kauffman Foundation. He co-founded and co-edits Innovations, a quarterly journal from MIT Press about entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges. He is an associate at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, and a former lecturer and assistant director at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Auserwald will be on hand to sign copies of his book which will be on sale after the presentation.

Background Information

In The Coming Prosperity, Philip E. Auerswald argues that it is time to overcome the outdated narratives of fear that dominate public discourse and to grasp the powerful momentum of progress. Acknowledging the gravity of today’s greatest global challenges-like climate change, water scarcity, and rapid urbanization, Auerswald emphasizes that the choices we make today will determine the extent and reach of the coming prosperity.

Entrepreneurs introduce new products and services, expand the range of global knowledge networks, and, most importantly, challenge established business interests, maintaining the vitality of mature capitalist economies and enhancing the viability of emerging ones.

Philip Auerswald believes we’re living in the most exciting period of human history. Over the next quarter century, three billion people will join the global economy – the most dramatic transformation in all civilization. While most thinkers today see the century ahead as a time of disasters and challenges, Phil sees it as a time of great opportunity. The real story of the 21st century isn’t a dark story of scarcity. It’s a thrilling adventure in prosperity and growth. It’s the story of his book, The Coming Prosperity: How Entrepreneurs are Transforming the Global Economy.

Phil sees opportunity where others see despair. His work in Beijing and in Seoul, watching men and women jump ahead centuries’ worth of technological progress in a single generation, has filled him with hope for a dynamic and profitable age, in the U.S. as abroad. He speaks about the power of entrepreneurship and innovation, fueled by the growth of the world economy, to increase living standards around the world, open new technological horizons, and even address the problems of energy and environment that do lie ahead. It’s an inspiring message that touches all of us, whether our focus is innovation, entrepreneurship, the economy, technology, or the future.

Philip Auerswald is an Economist at George Mason University and a Senior Fellow at the Kauffman Foundation. He co-founded and co-edits Innovations, a quarterly journal from MIT Press about entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges. He is an associate at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, and a former lecturer and assistant director at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He has served as a consultant to the National Academies of Science, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and as an advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative. His other books include Seeds of Disaster, Roots of Response: How Private Action Can Reduce Public Vulnerability and Taking Technical Risk: How Innovators, Executives, and Investors Manage High-Tech Risks.