Long-run Growth, Living Standards, and Sustainability

The average person today has vastly more health, wealth, and leisure opportunities than 50 years ago, let alone 500. In this course, we will study this remarkable set of facts: how these improvements have been won; at what cost, and for whom; and whether current, unprecedented levels of population and living standards are sustainable. Through analysis of historical data, engagement with academic research, and in-class debates, students will develop a deeper understanding of these long-term trends and critically evaluate the key forces shaping them. They will then apply this toolkit to examine urgent questions about the future of progress, exploring challenges and opportunities such as climate change, resource scarcity, ecosystem degradation, population dynamics, and emerging technologies.