This event has now passed. You can watch a recorded livestream of the event above or on our YouTube channel. Transcripts of Professor Griffith-Jones’s and John McDonnell’s speeches are available here and here. Photos of the event can be found on our Flickr page.
Professor Stephany Griffith-Jones (Columbia University, NY; University of Sussex, and PEF Council member) is one of the world’s leading experts on public development banks, having advised several national governments and international organisations, such as the United Nations, World Bank, and European Parliament, on their role in a dynamic economy.
In this special public lecture, co-hosted by PEF and UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP), Professor Griffith-Jones outlined the case for establishing a public development bank in the UK, drawing from the evidence presented in her most recent book, The Future of National Development Banks (Oxford University Press, co-edited with Professor José Antonio Ocampo). She was joined by the Shadow Chancellor Rt Hon. John McDonnell MP, who spoke on Labour’s plans for a National Investment Bank and the role such an institution could play in a transformed UK economy.
These speeches were followed by comment from Dr Joshua Ryan-Collins, Head of Research at IIPP and most recently author of Why Can’t You Afford a Home? (Polity), and Professor John Weeks, Emeritus Professor of Development Economics at SOAS and PEF Council member. The event was introduced and chaired by Patrick Allen, Chair and founder of PEF.
This was the third installment of PEF’s public lecture series, following the success of Lord Skidelsky’s lecture on the lessons Keynes can offer to today’s Left, and Will Hutton’s address on the reforms needed to address the structural inequities and divisions laid bare by the Brexit vote. To keep up to date with PEF’s work, you can follow us on Twitter (@pef_online) and sign up to our mailing list.