'What does it mean to 'build back better' and how will we do it?' with Diane Coyle

The pandemic and economic crisis have led many people to wish for things to be better in future, but the slogan ‘build back better’ is imprecise. What might it mean, and importantly who can help bring it about, and how?

To answer these questions, this Town Hall lecture will look back at what had gone wrong with the economy before this year of Covid-19 and why - and also at the challenges on the way to a better future. There will be the opportunity to ask questions at the end (or submit questions in advance to R.L.McDonald@bham.ac.uk). It is the second Peter Sinclair Town Hall lecture hosted by the Department of Economics at the University of Birmingham.

About the speaker

Professor Diane Coyle is the inaugural Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. Diane co-directs the Bennett Institute where she heads research under the themes of progress and productivity, and has been a government adviser on economic policy, including throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Her latest book, ‘Markets, State and People – Economics for Public Policy’ examines how societies reach decisions about the use and allocation of economic resources.

Diane is also a Director of the Productivity Institute, a Fellow of the Office for National Statistics, an expert adviser to the National Infrastructure Commission, and Senior Independent Member of the ESRC Council. She has served in public service roles including as Vice Chair of the BBC Trust, member of the Competition Commission, of the Migration Advisory Committee and of the Natural Capital Committee. Diane was Professor of Economics at the University of Manchester until March 2018 and was awarded a CBE for her contribution to the public understanding of economics in the 2018 New Year Honours.

About the lecture series

The Peter Sinclair Town Hall lecture series features world class economists presenting their research and its real world implications to an audience of academic economists, economics students, and the wider community. The lectures are diverse in topic but united in that they bring the lens of economics to real world issues, demonstrating how economics can be both useful and a force for good in understanding and shaping the world. The lecture series is inspired by and commemorates Emeritus Professor Peter Sinclair, whose breadth of knowledge, curiosity, and kindness inspired his students and colleagues immeasurably.