STICERD Public Events and Lectures
Huth Initiative for a New Political Economy
Geography and the wealth of nations
Jeffrey Sachs (Columbia University)
Tuesday 27 October 2026 18:30 - 20:00
Many of our seminars and public events this year will continue as in person or as hybrid (online and in person) events.
Please check our website listings and Twitter feed @STICERD_LSE for updates.
Unless otherwise specified, in-person seminars are open to the public. Please ensure you have informed the event contact as early as possible.
Those unable to join the seminars in-person are welcome to participate via zoom if the event is hybrid.
About this event
Two hundred and fifty years after the publication of The Wealth of Nations, Jeffrey D Sachs returns to one of Adam Smith's most striking claims: that "the discovery of America, and that of a passage to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope, are the two greatest and most important events recorded in the history of mankind."
Listen to a recording of the event:
Drawing on new geospatial datasets, Professor Sachs argues that Smith's observation captures deep truths about long-term global economic change - truths that remain profoundly relevant for our own age.
For further information about the event and to request tickets to attend please visit the LSE Event page: Geography and the wealth of nations