Kathleen McGarry, professor of economics at University of California, Los Angeles, and chair of the University of California System’s Committee on Planning and Budget, will present the 2022 Clemens Lecture titled “The Cost of Caring for Our Parents: The Economics of Aging” at 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, in the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Saint John’s University.

The event is free and open to the public.

The Clemens Lecture Series was founded in 1985 to further conversation on the ways that economics can speak to the larger problems of society and culture.

It brings to Saint John's outstanding economists noted for their abilities to address the economic dimensions of social issues and to sustain dialogue with the other fields of the liberal arts. It also provides a valuable opportunity for students to meet both informally and in classes with the visiting lecturer.

McGarry has served as senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisors. Her research focuses on the well-being of the elderly with particular attention to public financial transfers to the elderly in Medicare and Social Security and private transfers of resources to and from the elderly within families. She analyzes the effect of caregiving for elderly parents on the labor force participation of women and how these decisions affect the well-being of caregivers in later life.

The Clemens Lecture Series is designed to be practically useful in understanding daily life and is intended for a wide audience, including students, faculty, the business and professional community and members of the general public interested in the impact of economic issues in their lives.

Past Clemens Lectures can be viewed here.