The Declining Wellbeing of the Young | 2024 Morley Gunderson Lecture in Industrial Relations and Labour Economics

Join us for our 2024 Morley Gunderson Lecture, The Declining Wellbeing of the Young, delivered by Labour Economist and Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College, David "Danny" Blanchflower. We will also award the Morley Gunderson Prize to a worthy member of our community for their outstanding professional achievement and significant service to the Centre.

This is a free, hybrid event and everyone is welcome to attend. Seating is limited, so ensure you RSVP early to attend in person. Alternatively, live-streaming will be available via Vimeo.

Abstract: Wellbeing has declined among the least educated, especially prime-aged non-graduates who are notably susceptible to what Case and Deaton refer to as “deaths of despair.” Rapid decline in the wellbeing of the young - especially young women – means that those under the age of 25 have poorer mental health than older people. Although wellbeing responds differently to economic growth in more prosperous and less prosperous countries, wellbeing rankings change very little due to three variables that remain relatively consistent over time: education, life expectancy and GDP. A different story arises, however, when we look at expectations about the future, both in terms of the way individuals feel their lives will unfold, and in relation to broader macro-economic circumstances relating both to the economy and unemployment in the country where the respondent lives. Our 2024 Morley Gunderson Lecturer, David “Danny” Blanchflower, will share the findings of his co-authored research (Alex Bryson), including the way expectations have the potential to predict economic downturns and unemployment rates within a given year.

Bio: David 'Danny' Blanchflower is the Bruce V. Rauner '78 Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College, a Research Associate at the NBER, and a part-time Professor at the University of Glasgow. He obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees in the UK and taught at Warwick and Surrey Universities before moving to the US in 1989. He has honorary doctorates from the Universities of London, Leicester and Sussex, and an honorary Fellowship from Cardiff University. From 2006 to 2009, he was an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England, and was awarded a CBE in 2009. As a Labour Economist, Danny has published widely on unemployment, underemployment, recessions, wages, trade unions, expectations, ageing and wellbeing. With co-author Professor Alex Bryson of UCL he has written on pulse rates, sleep, the impacts of covid, including long covid, pain and mental distress. Most recently they have focused on bullying, abuse and neglect - Adverse Child Experiences - and their broad impact on wellbeing in adulthood. Most recently they have been analyzing data on declining mental health of the young and especially of young women in Western countries. The two are advising the United Nations on these issues.