Jeffrey Sachs and Roberto Mangabeira Unger to address progressive reform in new lecture series “The Turn”

What happened to socially inclusive economic growth and progressive politics?

This is the question that Jeffrey Sachs and Roberto Mangabeira Unger will set out to answer in their new three-part lecture series The Turn: From Reactionary Populism to a Progressive Alternative.

In this three-lecture course, Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs and political philosopher Roberto Mangabeira Unger will discuss the systemic and structural changes necessary to create a progressive future, with a focus on Brazil and the US. Both countries suffer from political polarization, populism, social conflict, and economic inequality among the highest in the world. Professors Sachs and Unger will analyze and debate how the two countries reached their current state of crisis, and how each nation can forge a progressive alternative to overcome the current impasse. 


UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who joined The Turn. You can revisit all three sessions in our SDG Academy Library.


Session 1: Stagnant and divided: What happened to socially inclusive economic growth and progressive politics?

Friday, March 19th | 13:00-14:30 UTC. (Convert to your local time zone.)

Register now.

This first session of The Turn will set the stage for their discussion and seek to answer the question, “What happened to socially inclusive economic growth and progressive politics?”

Session 2: Losing and finding the way: The United States and Brazil

Friday, March 26th| 13:00-14:30 UTC. (Convert to your local time zone.)

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In the second session, Professors Sachs and Unger will explore the rise of populism and the shift towards progressivism in the contexts of the United States and Brazil. 

Session 3: From now to an alternative: The missing project

Friday, April 2nd| 13:00-14:30 UTC. (Convert to your local time zone.)

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The final session presents the “progressive alternative” and outlines what steps should be taken to bring about these changes. 


You won’t want to miss these fascinating and important discussions! Register for all three sessions today.