The Economics of What's Possible: An Evening with Stephanie Kelton

About the Event

This isn’t really an event about economics. It’s about what economics quietly decides for us: how long you wait in an ER, whether your kid gets a daycare spot, and why transit projects take so long to build.

So often, when a program doesn't get funded, we're told it's a budget problem. Dr. Stephanie Kelton, the economist behind the bestselling book The Deficit Myth and the documentary Finding the Money has spent her career studying that pattern: not whether a federal government can spend money, but why it chooses to spend on some things and not others.

Come hear her perspective, bring your questions, and explore the real-world consequences of those choices. No economics background required. Just bring your curiosity.

This Bruce & Lis Welch Community Dialogue is co-presented by SFU Public Square and SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. It is the third offering of When the Map is Useless: Conversations for a World in Transition, a multi-year series that convenes SFU and the broader community to strengthen public sense-making and civic discourse during a time of profound social, political, and ecological change. This initiative is supported in part by the North Family Foundation.

Please note: this event page is for in-person tickets only. For livestream tickets, please register here.

 

About Stephanie Kelton

Dr. Stephanie Kelton is a leading authority on Modern Monetary Theory, a new approach to economics that is taking the world by storm. She is considered one of the most important voices influencing the policy debate today.

Her New York Times bestseller, The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy, shows how to break free of the flawed thinking that has hamstrung policymakers around the world.

In addition to her many academic publications, she has been a contributor at Bloomberg Opinion and has written for the Financial Times, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, U.S. News & World Report, CNN, and many others.

Read more about Dr. Kelton here. 

 

About Joy Johnson (Moderator)

Dr. Joy Johnson, SFU's president and vice-chancellor, is committed to carrying out SFU's vision to be a leading research university advancing an inclusive and sustainable future, as outlined in What's Next: The SFU Strategy. Joy is widely respected in academic and research communities. Prior to her appointment as president, Joy served as SFU’s vice-president, research and international from 2014 to 2020. Under her strong leadership, SFU’s research income grew from $103 million in 2014 to $161 million in 2020—the fastest growth in research income of any Canadian university.

 

In-Person Accessibility

The event will be hosted at the Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC). For detailed information on accessibility, including accessible parking, entrances, seating, washrooms, and more, please visit this page. 

 

Other Accessibility Notes

This event will include occasional loud sounds (e.g., music, applause) and lights. Closed captioning will be provided. We will also have ASL interpreters present. If you have any other accessibility needs, please contact us at publicsq@sfu.ca at least two weeks before the event and we will try to accommodate your request.

 

Community Guidelines

Our community guidelines are intended to ensure the safety of all guest speakers and event participants, and to foster honest, socially accountable dialogue at our events. Thank you for respecting our community guidelines!

• Above all, there will be zero tolerance for those who promote violence or discrimination against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, or disability. Anyone who incites harm towards other participants will be removed at the discretion of our team.
• Take space, make space: share your perspective and make space for other voices to be heard too. Recognize that we are all here to learn.
• Practice self-care in whatever way you need to.

 

Partners