On February 6, Gillian Tett presented the 2023 Malcolm H. Wiener Lecture in International Political Economy on "From Tunnel Vision to Lateral Vision; How Anthropology can help us all make (better) sense of global risks." The lecture was introduced by Douglas W. Elmendorf, Dean of Harvard Kennedy School and moderated by Jason Furman, Aetna Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. The Wiener Lectures are held in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at the Institute of Politics.
Gillian Tett is chair of the editorial board and editor-at-large, US of the Financial Times. She has been named Columnist of the Year (2014), Journalist of the Year (2009) and Business Journalist of the Year (2008) in the British Press Awards, and received three awards from America's Society of Business and Economic Writers Awards. She is a best-selling author and received the Royal Anthropological Institute Marsh Award and the American Anthropological Association President Medal for her work in social science.
In 1988, a generous gift from formally established and endowed the annual Malcolm H. Wiener Lecture series. Over three decades, the Harvard Kennedy School community has had the privilege of hosting and engaging with politicians, policymakers, and other public leaders from around the world.
Past lecturers have included Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund; Lawrence Bacow, President of Harvard University; Kevin Hassett, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers; Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman, World Economic Forum; Lael Brainard, member, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Gordon Brown, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Laureate and founder of Grameen Bank.
The Wiener Lectures are held in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at the Institute of Politics. Past lectures can be viewed as part of the Forum’s digital archives.
In past years, Wiener Lectures have been presented by:
2019 Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund
2019 Lawrence S. Bacow, President of Harvard University
2018 Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
2017 Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum
2017 Lael Brainard, Member, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
2014 Henry Paulson, former United States Secretary of the Treasury
2013 Mario Draghi, President, European Central Bank (2011 - )
2012 Jean-Claude Trichet, former President, European Central Bank (2003 – 2011)
2010 Gordon Brown, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
2009 John Hofmeister, Founder and CEO, Citizens for Affordable Energy
2007 James Kynge, former China Bureau Chief for the Financial Times
2007 Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Laureate and Founder, Grameen Bank
2006 Pascal Lamy, Director-General, World Trade Organization
2005 Peter Peterson, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Co-founder, the Blackstone Group
2005 Martin Wolf, Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator for the Financial Times