Clemens Lecture Series speaker to talk on happiness studies Oct. 7

Carol Graham will present the lecture "Bentham and Aristotle at the Census Bureau? Happiness Economics and Public Policy" at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Saint John's University.

Graham will be speaking about her work in happiness studies, a subset of psychology and economics. Considered by many to be a pioneer on the economic side of happiness studies, she will explain how happiness studies and the general public's idea of basic happiness work together. In addition to the lecture, Graham will spend the day meeting students from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University and discussing her ideas in classes throughout the day.

Graham is the Leo Pasvolsky Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C., as well as the College Park Professor at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. She is also a research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor. She has authored a number of books, including her most recent work, "The Pursuit of Happiness: Toward an Economy of Well-Being."

She has worked extensively with designing and implementing safety net programs in Latin America, Europe and Africa. She is considered an expert particularly in regards to the economic situation in Latin America, a topic which she has discussed on nearly every major news outlet.

The Clemens Lecture Series brings an expert in economics to SJU each year to enlighten the audience on how economics speaks to larger problems in society. The lecture series is designed to be practically useful in understanding daily life and is intended for a wide audience.

Past Clemens lecturers have included Benjamin M. Friedman (2011), Rebecca Blank (1997) and Jeffrey Sachs (1991).

The Clemens Chair in Economics and the Liberal Arts and the Clemens Lecture Series are made possible by William E. and Virginia Clemens.