Professor Stiglitz spent an hour discussing his work with students and faculty, covering a wide range of topics including inequality, artificial intelligence, debt, and macroeconomics.

One of the central themes of his visit was the importance of working on two tracks simultaneously: rigorous academic research on the one hand, and advocacy and policy impact on the other. He acknowledged that reconciling these two dimensions is not always easy, since the audiences are different and the modes of communication often diverge. However, he stressed that both tracks are essential. Advocacy without rigorous research backing risks being dismissed as ideological or losing credibility when subjected to scrutiny, and can ultimately do more harm than good by promoting policies that are not grounded in evidence. Research without advocacy, on the other hand, will either fail to influence real-world policy or will take decades to do so, by which time the window for meaningful action may have long passed.

Following the session with students, Professor Stiglitz joined faculty members of the Department of Economics for lunch. The conversation turned to the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, both as a driver of income inequality and as a potential threat to democratic processes. He also shared his concerns about the erosion of democratic institutions in the United States, a topic he clearly feels with considerable urgency.

Professor Stiglitz's own career stands as a compelling illustration of how the two tracks of rigorous research and sustained advocacy can be pursued in tandem, from his foundational contributions to the economics of information and inequality to his engagement with international institutions, governments, and civil society.