RFLA 200C 05 - Engines of Economic Change (CRN 10563)

Innovations do not automatically translate into positive social changes. Competing ideas, conflicting interests and complex social structures all shape the ways in which innovations are generated and applied to economic life, often leading to mixed results and unequal distribution of costs and benefits across the society. How can we harness the power of technological and institutional innovations to promote public interest and facilitate social progress? To answer this central question, this course looks into influential cases in agricultural, industrial and financial sectors to understand the processes and impact of applying innovations to economic life. Special attention is paid to how lessons from the past can assist us in meeting our current economic challenges.