Penn‘s Exchange: Markets & Cooperation

Southeast Asia has historically been the land of spices and riches to Westerners. To Asians, it was the buffer zone of conflict where Indian Buddhism and Chinese Confucianism collided. A geographical area where highlands and rain forest create the ideal spot for huge, diverse societies to emerge. Today, Jessica will talk to us about how these factors contributed to molding specific land-ownership...

Out of World War II, a socialist state was born under the leadership of Joseph Tito that united many of the several ethnicities into one polity: Yugoslavia. It has been described as an alternative type of socialism deviating from a firm conception of central planning.  Today Leonard Kukić will talk to us about how successful the experiment was in economic performance and its capability to unify th...

In 17th century China, the Qing regime persecuted individuals for speech crimes against the state through literary inquisitions. The persecution targeted intellectuals, diminishing their reputation. It also affected the operation of charitable organizations. Through time, they amplified distrust of others and increased apathy towards local governance.  Today Melanie will talk to us about it

The process of establishing a functional State is neither simple nor easy. Historical episodes may highlight the violent beginnings of current states, but they also help us recognize the inherent complexities in jumpstarting one. The building of the Mexican State was achieved by contingencies that arose out of the Conquest, by which Spanish and Native Conquistadores gained power and assured their...

The figure of the engineer as an embodiment of what’s productive and wealth-enhancing is a well-known story. But how much of the story is true and how much is a myth? Are the engineers really such a powerful force conducive to long-term development? Felipe will talk about how the engineer has impacted economic growth of our societies. 

Sumptuary Laws were regulations that aimed to restrict excessiveness in the consumption of certain personal items of daily life, especially in food and clothes. . While these types of laws had existed in Europe since at least the Greeks their presence spiked in the late middle ages. Yet, by the 19th century, they had disappeared. What explains their appearance in disappearance? Mark talks to us ab...