November 6, 2008
The New Administration and the Economy: What Can We Expect?
Dr. Jonathan B. Wight
Just two days after the presidential election and in the midst of a national economic upheaval, noted economist and Adam Smith scholar Dr. Jonathan B. Wight visited Belmont to discuss what we might expect of a new administration in the White House. According to Dr. Wight, ethical frameworks help the analysis of markets and establish the critical thinking skills needed for public policy analysis. Rather than predict specific actions to be taken based upon campaign promises, he sought to inform his audience how economic theory and current economic activity influence the thinking of government policy makers as they attempt to address public needs.
Dr. Wight is Professor of Economics and International Studies in the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond, Virginia. He lectures widely on the role of ethics in the study of economics and has published numerous articles on Adam Smith’s moral framework. Saving Adam Smith: A Tale of Wealth, Transformation, and Virtue, written by Dr. Wight in 2002, explores the ethical foundations of capitalism and the creation of social and moral capital in business. The Journal of Private Enterprise awarded him the John Templeton Prize in 2005 for his article entitled “Adam Smith and Greed.”
His co-authored publication, Teaching the Ethical Foundations of Economics (with John Morton, 2007), served as the foundation for a workshop he conducted for business faculty. Dr. Wight led a faculty discussion of how to incorporate the teaching of ethics into all business disciplines.