Morton Schapiro and Gary Saul Morson: Cents and Sensibility

Economic behavior is not just rational; it also turns on emotions, ethics, culture, and narrative, as behavioral economists are increasingly making clear. For years, Morton Schapiro, president of Northwestern University and a professor of economics, has taught a class with his friend, literary scholar Gary Saul Morson, that shows Adam Smith in Jane Austen and Anton Chekhov in Morton Friedman. In their new book Cents and Sensibility, the two explain how the humanities offer economists ways to make their models more realistic, their predictions more accurate, and their policies more effective and just.

This program is presented in partnership with the Dolores Kohl Education Foundation.