IFS Annual Lecture: Are Ideas Harder to Find, Overall?

Professor Philippe Aghion will give the 2026 IFS Annual Lecture on "Are Ideas Harder to Find, Overall?"

Philippe Aghion is a Professor at the College de France, at INSEAD, and at the London School of Economics, and a fellow of the Econometric Society and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on the economics of innovation and growth. With Peter Howitt, he pioneered the so-called Schumpeterian Growth theory which became a leading paradigm to analyze the interplay between growth, innovation, market structure, and firm dynamics. 

In 2001, Philippe Aghion received the Yrjo Jahnsson Award of the best European economist under age 45, in 2009 he received the John Von Neumann Award, and in March 2020 he shared the BBVA “Frontier of Knowledge Award” with Peter Howitt for “developing an economic growth theory based on the innovation that emerges from the process of creative destruction”. He has been awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2025 (jointly with Peter Howitt for their works on creative destruction, and with Joel Mokyr).

The lecture will take place from 6pm - 7pm, followed by a drinks reception, and will be in-person only. A recording of the lecture will be available afterwards for those unable to attend in-person.

Please click here to register to attend.