The Pearson Institute Announces Speakers for The Inaugural Pearson Global Forum

The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at The University of Chicago announced the roster of speakers for The Pearson Global Forum, an inaugural conference taking place on Friday, October 5, which will convene international leaders and world-renowned academics to explore solutions for anticipating, preventing, de-escalating, and resolving conflicts that drive breakdowns in social order.

The Pearson Global Forum offers a timely opportunity to delve deeply into the ways data analysis and rigorous approaches to the understanding of conflicts can bridge the gap between research and policy, while exploring strategies for reducing and mitigating conflict to achieve a more peaceful world.  The most devastating conflicts raging across the globe today are not wars between nations, but violent breakdowns of social order.  From Colombia to Nigeriato Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, such breakdowns lead to violence, economic crises, and displacements with staggering human costs. To address these challenges, policy-makers increasingly recognize the need for solutions that are informed by rigorous research and data-driven analysis.

The Pearson Institute will bring together international policy-makers, non-governmental organizations, and academics to create a robust agenda for The Pearson Global Forum. With keynote addresses from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell, President of the U.S. Institute of Peace Nancy Lindborg, and former President of the UN General Assembly Vuk Jeremić, the conference will couple academic research and first-hand experiences to promote research practices and inform public policy.  

"The Pearson Institute is proud to bring together global experts for The Pearson Global Forum – a conference that will explore solutions for anticipating, preventing, de-escalating, and resolving conflicts," said Daniel Diermeier, provost of the University of Chicago. "Global conflict is arguably the most pressing foreign policy challenge of our time, and The Pearson Institute is playing a leading role in advancing our understanding and impacting policy in this area."

James Robinson, Institute Director of The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts, added, "The Pearson Institute's world-renowned academics, students, and affiliates are continuing to fulfill our mission of developing strategies for reducing and mitigating global conflict by conducting rigorous, on-the-ground research that is truly global in scope. We are addressing the sources of illegitimacy in the social contract and finding ways to construct legitimate political order. Through The Pearson Global Forum, we enhance our ability to influence widespread change by bringing together academics and policymakers to bridge the gap between research and policy, ultimately ensuring violent breakdowns in social order are not only anticipated but properly addressed."

Participants for The Pearson Global Forum include:

Keynote speakers

• Senator Tammy Duckworth; U.S. Senator for the State of Illinois
• Vuk Jeremić; President, Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD); President, 67thSession of the UN General Assembly (2012-2013)
• Nancy Lindborg; President, U.S. Institute of Peace
• Senator George Mitchell; former U.S. Senator; Independent Chairman, Northern Ireland Peace Talks; United States Special Envoy for Middle East Peace (2009-2011)

Additional speakers

• Jeannie Annan; Senior Director of Research & Evaluation, International Rescue Committee; Senior Research Associate, The Pearson Institute
• David Axelrod; Institute Director, Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago; former Chief Strategist and Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama
• Katherine Baicker; Dean and Emmett Dedmon Professor, Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago
• Rick Barton; former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations
• Sir Tim Besley; W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science
• Chris Blattman; Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies, Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago
• Federico Borello; Executive Director, Center for Civilians in Conflict
• Ethan Bueno de Mesquita; Sydney Stein Professor and Deputy Dean for Promotions & Recruitments, Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago; Faculty Affiliate, The Pearson Institute
• Steve Clemons; Washington Editor at Large, The Atlantic
• Ivo Daalder; President, Chicago Council on Global Affairs; former U.S. Ambassador to NATO
• Daniel Diermeier; Provost, University of Chicago
• Oeindrila Dube; Philip K. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies, Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago
• Richard English; Distinguished Professorial Fellow, Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, Queen's University Belfast
• Grant T. Harris; CEO, Harris Africa Partners LLC
• Adnan Khan; Research and Policy Director, International Growth Center, London School of Economics and Political Science; Visiting Lecturer, Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
• Peter Luskin; Managing Director and Co-Founder, Center for Operational Analysis and Research
• Carter Malkasian; Special Assistant for Strategy, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Department of Defense
• Aila Matanock; Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley
• John McArthur; Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, The Brookings Institution
• Jennifer Murtazashvili; Associate Professor and Director of the International Development Program, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh
• Roger Myerson; Glen A. Lloyd Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, University of Chicago; Nobel Laureate (2007)
• Anne C. Richard; former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
• James Robinson; Institute Director, The Pearson Institute; Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies and University Professor, Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago
• Liz Schrayer; President and CEO, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition
• Rebecca Wolfe; Director, Peace and Conflict, Mercy Corps
• Graeme Wood; National Correspondent, The Atlantic
• Austin L. Wright; Assistant Professor, Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago; Faculty Affiliate, The Pearson Institute 
• Robert J. Zimmer; President, University of Chicago

Additional speaker announcements will be forthcoming as will a formal conference agenda.   

About The University of Chicago & The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts

The University of Chicago is a leading academic and research institution that has driven new ways of thinking since its founding in 1890. As an intellectual destination, the University draws scholars and students from around the world to its home in Hyde Park and campuses around the globe. The University provides a distinctive educational experience, empowering individuals to challenge conventional thinking and pursue research that produces new understanding and breakthroughs with global impact. Home to more than 90 Nobel laureates, the University of Chicago is dedicated to an environment of fearless inquiry and academic rigor.

In 2015, the University announced the creation of The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at the Harris School of Public Policy, the first of its kind research institute dedicated to applying rigorous, evidence-based inquiry to the issues of peace and conflict. Established through a grant from The Thomas L. Pearson and The Pearson Family Members Foundation, and led by Institute Director James Robinson, co-author of Why Nations Fail, the Institute seeks to understand the complex causes and consequences of conflict by mobilizing the best minds and the most innovative tools and technology to drive new breakthroughs and understanding that informs policy and leads to a world more at peace.