MAY 8
H. F. Langenberg Memorial Speaker Series
Lindenwood University – J. Scheidegger Center
Doors Open – 6:00 p.m.
Program Begins – 6:30 p.m.
Book Signing – 8:15 p.m.
Featuring:
Robert H. Frank,
Henrietta Johnson Louis Professor of Management;
Professor of Economics at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management;
Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos
Charles Murray,
Emeritus Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute
Master of Ceremonies
Marc Cox,
Host of “The Marc Cox Show” on FM News Talk 97.1 from Noon to 3:00 p.m.
Q&A Session Moderator
Bill McClellan,
Columnist for the St. Louis-Post Dispatch
The evening event will feature Dr. Robert H. Frank and Dr. Charles Murray, two people who have written extensively on the subject of the American Dream, and will discuss “Culture and Opportunity in America.”
This Langenberg Speaker Series event is about how culture influences economic opportunity in America. It brings together two scholars with related but distinct perspectives on recent trends that have meant reduced opportunity for those in most need of it.
Dr. Robert Frank of Cornell University has written extensively on the ways in which modern labor markets confer astounding returns to those at the top. See his recent book Success and Luck. In Frank’s view, the rewards to top performers are not necessarily caused by nefarious forces, but can nonetheless generate social strains. According to Frank, these social strains can be mitigated without muting the incentives for high performance.
In his book Coming Apart, Dr. Charles Murray of the American Enterprise Institute has written about the dangers of social segregation. The book highlights how forces such as the modern digital world have meant that social classes are less connected with each other than in the past. The most famous metric from this book is his Bubbly Quiz, which can be found on National Public Radio's website. His evidence on the erosion of social connectedness has been said to explain recent political trends in America.
Combined, these scholars will provide a thoughtful discussion on America's most prized inheritance: opportunity.
Listen to Marc Cox's interview with Charles Murray
Listen to Marc Cox's interview with Rachel Douchant from The Hammond Institute at Lindenwood.
