Join the annual Humanomics Symposium hosted by the Menard Family Center for Economic Inquiry, where students and faculty explore economics through a human-centered lens.
Information about the 2025 Humanomics symposium to come.
What is Humanomics?
What does Adam Smith think about Humanomics?
Where did Humanomics come from?
Why not just modify the utility maximization framework?
Smith and Wilson (2019, p. 38) note that:
“Faced with a Paradox of Preferences, as revealed in choices, the economist’s instinct was to posit – like Adam Smith did for the Paradox of Value – that there must be two meaning of preferences: preferences for the self and preferences for the social, where the latter was expressed as different choices than the former. Three prominent publications appeal to “social preferences” as the solution to the paradox:”
Smith and Wilson are not satisfied with this approach of merely modifying the utility-maximizing framework with a few “social” variables. They conclude that (p. 40), “The nature of the question about how Frank and Evelyn feel in social situations does not fit the analytical Max-U tool kit. Simply, put, utility maximization over outcomes only, is an inadequate and misapplied tool for the problem that Frank and Evelyn face in a personal social interaction.”
Smith, Vernon L., and Bart J. Wilson. 2019. Humanomics: Moral Sentiments and the Wealth of Nations for the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
What is the Humanomics Symposium?
What is the structure of the Humanomics Symposium?
Who should I contact for more information?
The Humanomics 2024 symposium gathered leading thinkers to explore the divisive narratives shaping today's world. Featuring keynote speakers Mr. Walter Russell Mead, Dr. Carson Holloway, and Dr. Rusty Reno, participants engaged in discussions on modernity, liberalism, and teleology, inspired by Mead’s essays and works by C.S. Lewis and R.R. Reno. With reading group sessions, public lectures, and even an optional scavenger hunt, the symposium offered a dynamic and insightful examination of how innovation and religion intersect with global politics and societal divides in the modern age.
The Humanomics 2023 symposium was a remarkable gathering that explored the foundational principles of liberty in modern societies. Directed by Dr. Michael D. Thomas from Creighton University, the event featured powerful keynote speakers like freedom activist Yeonmi Park and economist Dr. Vincent Geloso. Participants engaged with thought-provoking readings on topics ranging from the Hayek-Friedman hypothesis to the impact of economic freedom on women's well-being. Sessions explored the basics, workings, and benefits of freedom, offering deep insights into its role in economic development and political stability. Enriched by faculty panels, this symposium deepened the dialogue on freedom's global impact.
The Humanomics 2022 symposium, "Civil Society & Social Change," hosted by the Menard Family Center for Economic Inquiry, offered a rich exploration of social norms, fiscal decentralization, and urban governance. Participants delved into readings by scholars like Elinor Ostrom on collective action and Fehr and Fischbacher on human cooperation, sparking lively discussions. Keynote speakers Dr. Tony Gill and Dr. Vlad Tarko illuminated the themes of civil society and social change. In addition to the engaging sessions, attendees joined faculty panels, movie discussions, and a live podcast recording, all fostering deep academic inquiry into how societies organize and evolve.
The inaugural Humanomics Symposium 2019 marked the launch of Humanomics as a flagship program of the Menard Family Center for Economic Inquiry. Humanomics, as conceptualized by Smith and Wilson (2019), assumes that the messy, reciprocal relationships between individuals create an economics science that is more human, moving beyond traditional models of rational self-interest. It blends experimental economics, fieldwork, evolutionary theory, and anthropology to create a more nuanced understanding of human behavior. The symposium, led by Dr. Maria Pia Paganelli, Dr. Derek Yonai, and Dr. Alexei Marcoux, explored morality, crime, and punishment through this interdisciplinary lens, integrating insights from psychology, philosophy, political science, development, and sociology.