The new Hajnal Lecture series

On Monday, 19 February 2024, the Arthur Lewis Lab for Comparative Development will announce the first awardee of its inaugural Hajnal Lecture, to be given annually at the University of Manchester.

This new lecture series is named after the late John Hajnal, in recognition of pivotal contributions to historical demography and his impactful tenure as a Simon Fellow at the University of Manchester in the 1950s. 

With the gracious approval of John Hajnal’s next of kin, the Arthur Lewis Lab is proud to establish the Hajnal Lecture to honour his memory and reflect the University of Manchester’s commitment to fostering excellence in the fields of economic history and comparative development.

This prestigious annual lecture aims to commend the outstanding work of early- or mid-career scholars, specifically those within 15 years of completing their PhD, who have demonstrated exceptional contributions in their study of economic growth, political economy of development, and global inequalities from a long-run historical perspective.

For this annual lecture, the Arthur Lewis Lab partnered with the Quarry Bank Mill, one of the best-preserved factories of the Industrial Revolution, near Manchester, who will produce the fabric used for the physical award received by the winner.

A published version of the lecture will also be published in The Manchester School, a prestigious journal publishing high-quality research covering all areas of the economics discipline. This will contribute to the broader dissemination of knowledge and foster interdisciplinary exchange, in line with the lab’s dedication to advancing cutting-edge research with a focus on big questions and an historical dimension.

The award committee with be formed of the Director and Deputy Director of The Arthur Lewis Lab for Comparative Development, currently Professor Nuno Palma and Dr Guillaume Blanc, as well as the editor of The Manchester School, currently Professor Akos Valentinyi from the Department of Economics at the University of Manchester.

The university’s official announcement can be read here.