EVENTS | Conferences | March 2006
March 2, 2006
Gutman Conference Center, 6 Appian Way (at the Graduate School of Education),
Cambridge, MA
Sponsored by the Project on Justice, Welfare and Economics, Harvard University
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Description: The motivation of this seminar is particularly inspired by Professor Cass Sunstein's new book, Laws of Fear: Beyond the Precautionary Principle (The Seeley Lectures), April, 2005. The dominance of what is called the precautionary principle may tend to influence legislation as well as policy in a way that leads to the neglect of addressing urgent problems for fear of making errors of commission (as opposed to penalties of omission). This calls for discussion both of the hold of the precautionary principle and its consequences.
The morning session will be led by Professor Sunstein, and the discussion will be particularly concentrated on the analysis presented in his book, which he will discuss in his talk, leading the discussion. The afternoon session will be more general, and bring in the role of precaution and pessimism in rational decisions and the identification of errors, in different directions, that need to be avoided. The discussion will be led by Professor Richard Zeckhauser, and we are hoping, Professor Thomas Schelling, with Amartya Sen joining in.
Agenda: Click here for the program schedule
Chairs: Professor Amartya Sen
Contact information:
Jessica Barnard, Project on Justice, Welfare and Economics
Email: jbarnard@wcfia.harvard.edu
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