The Hayek Memorial lecture has been an annual highlight in the IEA calendar since 1988, and this year we are thrilled to be honouring one of our own: acclaimed author, historian and IEA Head of Education Dr Stephen Davies. The event will take place at 6pm on Thursday 17th December, and will be live streamed on the IEA London YouTube Channel. Please set a reminder here.

Dr Davies will analyse the global and domestic response to the Coronavirus pandemic. What was once thought of as normal has been upset and disrupted by its outbreak. Serious cognitive dissonance has taken hold of many, leading to a burst of motivated reasoning, denial of reality, and widespread straw-clutching. Dr Davies will examine the world that this pandemic has left in its wake – and it is appropriate that these matters be discussed at a lecture named after F A Hayek, whose insights help us to understand the nature of what we face and how difficult it is to deal with.
You’ll be able to watch the lecture, followed by a Q&A led by IEA Director General Mark Littlewood, on the IEA’s YouTube channel here.

Dr Stephen Davies was previously programme officer at the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University in Virginia. Before that, he was Senior Lecturer in the Department of History and Economic History at Manchester Metropolitan University and he’s also been a Visiting Scholar at the Social Philosophy and Policy Center at Bowling Green State University, Ohio.

Mark Littlewood is Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs and the IEA’s Ralph Harris Fellow. Mark has overseen significant growth in the IEA’s size, influence and media profile during his tenure, since 2009. Mark also sits on the Board of Big Brother Watch, a non-profit organisation fighting for the protection of privacy and civil liberties in the UK. Mark is recognised as a powerful, engaging and articulate spokesman for free markets. He is a much sought-after speaker at a range of events including university debates, industry conferences and public policy events. He also features as a regular guest on flagship political programmes such as BBC Question Time, Newsnight, Sky News and the Today Programme. He writes a regular column for The Times and features in many other print and broadcast media.