THE WORLD’S FIRST FESTIVAL OF ECONOMICS AND COMEDY
PETER ANTONIONI • DAN ARIELY • DES BISHOP • MATTHEW BISHOP • BILL BLACK MARK BLYTH • RUTGER BREGMAN • Sarah Carey • RORY CELLAN-JONES JOHN CLEERE • DIANE COYLE • PADDY CULLIVAN • LIAM DELANEY • MIKE DRIVER LARRY ELLIOTT • BILL EMMOTT • KEVIN GILDEA • NICHOLAS GRUEN • LIAM HALLIGAN TIM HARFORD • ROBERT KADAR • STEVE KEEN • STEPHANIE KELTON • MEHREEN KHAN STEPHEN KINSELLA • KONSTANTIN KISIN • SIMON KUPER • PINCHAS LANDAU CORMAC LUCEY • JORIS LUYENDIJK • RONAN LYONS • TOM LYONS • PIPPA MALMGREN COLM MCCARTHY • DEIRDRE MCCLOSKEY • PAUL MCCULLEY DEARBHAIL MCDONALD • GRÁINNE MCKEEVER • DAVID MCWILLIAMS • JULIEN MERCILLE WOLFGANG MÜNCHAU • Naoise nunn • DARA Ó BRIAIN MARK O’BYRNE • KIERAN O’HEA • COLM O’REGAN • JIM RICKARDS • STEVE ROTH MARTIN SANDBU • KIMBERLY SCHARF • SHAWNA SCOTT • ROBERT SHRIMSLEY KARL SPAIN • GERARD STEMBRIDGE • RORY SUTHERLAND • NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB nick webb • DERMOT WHELAN • LINDA YUEH KILKENNY CITY TH TH THURS 10 - SUN 13 NOV 2016 FULL PROGRAMME AND TICKETS NOW LIVE AT WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
Sponsors BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
2016 Welcome to the seventh edition of Kilkenomics - Europe’s first economics festival - which brings together some of the world’s leading economists, financial analysts and media commentators with some of our funniest, sharpest standup comedians. We’ve been called “Davos with jokes” and we wouldn’t disagree with that assessment.
The standups put the economists under the spotlight to talk through vital issues such as the case for a universal basic income, whether the world can cope with Brexit, whether capitalism needs a new world war to survive, the dangers of mobocracy and what economic future is promised by the new US President elect. We’re also talking Russia, neo- liberalism, the New Left and the economics of sex.
When we started this festival, the world was in the grips of what seemed an unprecedented economic crisis and we asked questions like “What the hell just happened?” Seven years on the crisis doesn’t seem so unprecedented, our audiences are better informed than before but the questions still remain to be answered and we’ve got the best people available to do just that. Our informal, entertaining formats invite our audiences to engage and enjoy. As we like to say: it’s serious, but it’s fun too!
Jump into Kilkenomics now and engage with as many shows as possible, equip yourself with the information and insight we hope can help us all make smart choices for our futures, inform and entertain yourselves.
HERE’S A TASTE OF WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY ABOUT KILKENOMICS: “Davos with jokes” “Kilkenomics is just what economics “Lenny Bruce meets John Maynard Keynes” THE AUSTRALIAN needs: an event bridging the gap between BLOOMBERG academic analysis and the ordinary people “One of the oddest festivals anywhere, whose lives are turned upside down by “Wildly successful” comedy with a pint and a point” economic mayhem.” THE GUARDIAN UK SUNDAY TIMES the economist “I’ve been to lots of festivals and “An utterly bizzare idea but the public love it” “A little jewel where players manage to talk conferences, but Kilkenomics may be the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE human without being patronising” best. More than that: it felt like democracy.” THE IRISH TIMES Simon Kuper, FINANCIAL TIMES columnist “Having a laugh despite the gloom” BBC WORLD SERVICE WE’D LIKE TO THANK ALL SPONSORS FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THE FESTIVAL IN 2016
PRINCIPAL SPONSORS
FUNDING PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA PARTNER
2016 SPONSORS MEDIA PARTNERS
VENUE DETAILS
1 Cleere’s Theatre Bar
2 The Hole in the Wall
3 The Set Theatre
4 The Ormonde Hotel (Kilbride Suite) (Kings Suite)
5 Watergate Theatre
6 The Village Inn
BOOKING DETAILS Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny Tel: 056 776 3837 Online booking now at WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM FESTIVAL TEAM Founder Directors: Richard Cook and David McWilliams Programme Director: Naoise Nunn Production Manager: Michael Burke Box Office Manager: Lilian Burke HAVE Festival Manager: Miriam Dunne Volunteers Manager: Tommie Ryan YOUR Festival Administration: Margaret-Mary Murphy Public Relations: Caoimhe Butler and KerryAnn Conway at Conway Communications SAY: Web and Print Design: RedLemonade.ie pitch into #kilkenomics Box Office Team: Brian Butler, Garret Brennan, Niamh Moyles, Ralph Sheehan, Paula McDonald for the latest festival shenanigans! Special thanks to Colm O’Regan for programme input.
Programme subject to change; correct at time of going to print. BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
PETER ANTONIONI Dan Ariely DES BISHOP is a Kilkenomics regular and co-author One of the world’s foremost behavioural is currently touring with his stand-up of Economics for Dummies. He was economists, Dan’s TED talks have been show Grey Matters, which has been educated at Pembroke College, Oxford watched nearly 8 million times. Following winning rave reviews and playing to and Birkbeck College, London. He is the painful treatment he received for packed audiences. Since moving from currently a lecturer in management injuries sustained in an explosion, Dan Queens, New York to Ireland in his mid at University College, London. Peter’s became engrossed with the idea that teens, Des has carved out a highly research interests are diverse and we repeatedly and predictably make the successful career in stand up comedy as include the football transfer market, wrong decisions in many aspects of our well as having a number of acclaimed the process of enterprise in technology lives. His books include Irrationally Yours, television series on RTÉ including The markets and the techniques and practice Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Des Bishop Work Experience, Joy in the of the arcane field of long-range scenario Irrationality and The (Honest) Truth About Hood, In the Name of the Fada and planning. Dishonesty. earlier this year, Des Bishop’s Election. Follow Peter @GuerillaEcon Follow Dan @danariely Follow Des @Desbishop
MATTHEW BISHOP BILL BLACK Mark Blyth is senior editor of The Economist Group. He is a Kilkenomics regular. He is an is professor of international political is also the author of several books, including American lawyer, academic, best-selling economy, faculty fellow of the Watson Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can author and former bank regulator. He Institute for International Studies at Save the World (described as “important” is currently an associate professor of Brown University and a visiting professor by President Bill Clinton); The Road From economics and law at the University at Copenhagen Business School. He Ruin; and In Gold We Trust? The Future of Missouri, Kansas City. Bill assisted is the author of several books, most of Money In An Age Of Uncertainty. His Icelandic and French leaders responding recently, one of the Financial Times Economics: An A-Z Guide, which explains to their fiscal crises and has testified to Books of the Year: Austerity: The History the basics of economics for non-experts, US Congress about the financial crisis, of a Dangerous Idea, which questions is just out. He was a member of the World specifically on regulatory failures and the return to prominence of financial Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council the role of control fraud in the bubble orthodoxy following the global financial on Global Governance. He co-founded and and crisis. crisis. advises the #givingtuesday campaign and Follow Bill @WilliamKBlack Follow Mark @MkBlyth the Social Progress Index. Follow Matthew @mattbish CONTRIBUTORS
Rutger Bregman Sarah Carey Rory Cellan-Jones is one of Europe’s most prominent young is columnist for the Sunday Independent is technology correspondent at the thinkers. He has published four books and Evening Herald and presents the BBC. Over 25 years, he’s worked on the on history, philosophy, and economics. PPI-nominated Talking Point on Newstalk. Money Programme, Newsnight, the Today His History of Progress was awarded She is also a frequent contributor to programme and the Ten O’ Clock News, the Belgian Liberales prize for best radio and television panels. covering everything from Black Wednesday nonfiction book of 2013. The Dutch Follow Sarah @sarahcareyirl to the dot com bubble and the rise of Google. edition of Utopia for Realists became a Readers of T3 magazine voted him ‘Gadget national bestseller and sparked a basic Personality of The Year’. In 2014, he began income movement. Bregman has twice presenting a new weekly programme Tech been nominated for the prestigious Tent on the BBC World Service. He is also the European Press Prize for his journalism author of Dot.Bomb, a critically acclaimed work at The Correspondent. account of Britain’s dot com bubble. Follow Rutger @rcbregman Follow Rory @BBCRoryCJ
John cleere DIANE COYLE PADDY CULLIVAN is director of Kilkenny based Red is Professor of Economics at the of Callan’s Kicks and Kilkenomics brings Lemonade Creative; an experienced University of Manchester in addition to you an audiovisual spectacular on the digital, UX and print design agency. running Enlightenment Economics. She Rising Centenary. Using satire, imagery, Clients include start-ups, SMEs and is a Fellow of the Office for National historical insight and song, Paddy blue chip brands nationally and Statistics and a Member of the Natural reveals the 10 strangest things that internationally. 12 months ago John Capital Committee. She was Vice-Chair happened during our rising, revolution initiated #TechThursdayKK a well of the BBC Trust until April 2015, a and counter-revolution. He parallels attended monthly meeting in Kilkenny for member of the Migration Advisory those events’ effects on modern Ireland, start-ups (see also #DesignTechKK). The Committee from 2007-2012, and a drawing out fundamental changes ‘Kilkenny Design Workshops’ iPad app member of the Competition Commission that need to happen, no matter what he designed and developed in 2015 was from 2001-2009. government we end up with. shortlisted for the UK Digital Magazine Follow Diane @DianeCoyle1859 Follow Paddy @paddycullivan Awards. Follow John @redlemonade BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
LIAM DELANEY MIKE DRIVER LARRY ELLIOTT is SIRE Professor of Economics at started, built and sold M2 before co- has been at the Guardian since 1988 the Scottish Institute for Research founding Convex Capital. Convex Capital and is the paper’s economics editor. He in Economics and Stirling University helps entrepreneurs sell their businesses. is the co-author of three books with Dan and Director of the Scottish Graduate Mike has sold 29 entrepreneur owned Atkinson – The Age of Insecurity in 1998; Programme in Economics PhD businesses mainly in the tech sector in Fantasy Island, in 2007, which warned programme. In 2009, he received the the last four years with a collective value that Britain’s growth under New Labour Statistical and Social Inquiry Society over $1 billion. Mike is an advocate for was a debt-driven illusion; and The Gods of Ireland’s Barrington Medal. He was the role that real entrepreneurs can play that Failed in 2008, an analysis of the a 2010 Fulbright Fellow and Center for in rejuvinating economies. events and forces that brought the global Health and Well-Being fellow at Princeton Follow Mike @mdvex financial system to the brink of collapse. University. Larry is a visiting fellow at Hertfordshire Follow Liam @LiamDelaneyEcon University.
BILL EMMOTT KEVIN GILDEA NICHOLAS GRUEN is an independent writer and lecturer on is a comedian, award-winning is CEO of Lateral Economics and is international affairs, based in Oxford playwright, performer, TV presence and a widely published policy economist, and Somerset. He was editor of The book reviewer. Kevin is a writer/performer entrepreneur and commentator who has Economist from 1993 until 2006, having on RTE TV’s satirical sketch show Irish had regular columns in the Australian worked at the magazine since 1980 in Pictorial Weekly. He was Ted Meaney Financial Review, the Age and the Sydney Brussels, Tokyo and London. The author in TV’s Bridget and Eamonn and Father Morning Herald. He has advised Cabinet of 13 books and co-conspirator on two Cave in TV’s Father Ted. He performs his Ministers, sat on Australia’s Productivity documentary films, one about Italy and stand-up all over the global shop. He is Commission and founded Peach one about the European Union, he is now an award winning writer, winning awards Financial. He chairs The Australian chairman of The Wake Up Foundation, for his writing. He lives by the sea with Centre for Social Innovation; and The a charity dedicated to public education his two cats - Timmy and FiscalHole. Open Knowledge Foundation. about the decline of western societies Follow Kevin @ComedyGildea Follow Nicholas @NGruen1 and the threats to liberalism. Follow Bill @bill_emmott CONTRIBUTORS
LIAM HALLIGAN Tim Harford Robert Kadar is among the UK’s most influential is an economist, journalist and broadcaster. is founding editor of Evonomics.com, economics commentators. Since 2003, He is author of Messy and the million- and previously founded This View of he has written his widely-followed weekly selling The Undercover Economist, a senior life (thisviewoflife.com). In 2013, he Economics Agenda column in The Sunday columnist at the Financial Times, and the published Great Adaptations, the evolution Telegraph, which has been recognised presenter of Radio 4’s More or Less. Tim children’s book, recognised as one of the with a British Press Award. He also has spoken at TED, PopTech and the Sydney top 20 most funded children’s book on writes regularly for The Spectator and Opera House and is a visiting fellow of Kickstarter. He’s also worked in media, makes documentaries on economic and Nuffield College, Oxford. He was winner of publishing and marketing in higher-ed. financial issues for Channel 4 television. the Royal Statistical Society journalistic Follow Robert @RobertMKadar Liam has previously worked for The excellence award in 2015 and also won the Economist, The Financial Times and Society of Business Economists writing prize Channel 4 News. 2014-15. Follow Liam @LiamHalligan Follow Tim @TimHarford
STEVE KEEN STEPHANIE KELTON MEHREEN KHAN is Professor of Economics, History and is Chief Economist on the U.S. Senate is a Financial Times reporter with fastFT Politics at Kingston University, London. Budget Committee. She is on leave from in London. She writes about finance He won the Revere Award from Real her position as Associate Professor in and economics and was previously a World Economics Review for being the the Department of Economics at the business reporter at The Telegraph. economist “who first and most clearly University of Missouri-Kansas City. She Follow Mehreen @MehreenKhn anticipated and gave public warning was the founder and editor-in-chief of the Global Financial Collapse and of the top-ranked blog New Economic whose work is most likely to prevent Perspectives and a member of the another GFC in the future”. This year TopWonks network of the nation’s best City AM ranked him as the second most thinkers. Her book, The State, The Market influential economist in the UK. and The Euro (2001) predicted the debt crisis in the Eurozone. Follow Steve @ProfSteveKeen Follow Stephanie @StephanieKelton BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
STEPHEN KINSELLA KONSTANTIN KISIN SIMON KUPER is a lecturer in economics at the is a bilingual Russian translator, working has been working with the Financial University of Limerick. He is the author of in the fields of economics, finance, Times since 1994. He is the author of Ireland in 2050: How Will We Be Living?; politics, marketing and sports as well as several books including Football Against Understanding Ireland’s Economic video game development. He is also a the Enemy (winner of the William Hill Crisis: Prospects for Recovery; Quick Win standup comedian with gigs at the Cat prize for Sports Book of the Year); Ajax, Economics; and Computable Economics. Laughs Festival under his belt. The Dutch, The War: Football in Europe Stephen’s research spans the areas of Follow Konstantin @KonstantinKisin During the Second World War and computable economics, macroeconomics Soccernomics, which he co-authored with and Irish public policy. He is a research Stefan Szymanski. In 2008, Simon won fellow at the Geary Institute at University the Manuel Vazquez Montalban prize for College Dublin. sports writing.
Follow Stephen @stephenkinsella Follow Simon @KuperSimon
Pinchas Landau CORMAC LUCEY JORIS LUYENDJIK Born and educated in London, Pinchas is a chartered accountant based in is a London-based journalist and author. Landau has been living in Israel since Dublin who teaches finance. He served In 2011 Joris started a long-running 1976 and is one of the country’s leading as a special adviser to Michael McDowell investigation into the City of London and independent analysts and commentators between 2002 and 2007. He previously the world of global finance on behalf of on Israeli economic and financial affairs. worked in industry and in corporate the Guardian about how bankers can live Prior to establishing an independent finance both in Ireland in Germany. with themselves and whether the crash consultancy in 1997, he was for many Follow Cormac @cormaclucey of 2008 was a one-off or something more years one of Israel’s most prominent sinister. His book Swimming with Sharks financial journalists. Today, his original is about the culture at major banks in and insightful analyses on global the City of London. Other books include developments are available via private Hello Everybody. consultations. Follow Joris @JLbankingblog Follow Pinchas @PinchasLandau CONTRIBUTORS
RONAN LYONS TOM LYONS Pippa Malmgren is assistant professor of economics at is the Business Editor and Associate is an American policy analyst. She served Trinity College, Dublin where his areas Editor of the Sunday Business Post. He as Special Assistant to the President of of research include urban economics, previously worked with The Irish Times, the United States for Economic Policy on housing markets and global economic The Sunday Independent and The Sunday the National Economic Council and is a history. Prior to Trinity, he studied at Times. Tom is a former NNI Business & former member of the U.S. President’s Balliol College, Oxford where his doctoral Economics Journalist of the Year and Working Group on Financial Markets. She thesis covered the economics of Ireland’s co-author of two best selling books on is the founder of the DRPM Group and recent property market bubble and bust. Ireland’s financial crisis. co-founder of H Robotics.
Follow Ronan @ronanlyons Follow Tom @TomLyonsBiz Follow Pippa @DrPippaM
COLM MCCARTHY Dearbhail McDonald Deirdre McCloskey is an occasional lecturer at the School is Group Business Editor of Independent teaches economics, history, English of Economics at University College News and Media. Dearbhail has won a and communication at the University of Dublin. He is a graduate of UCD and series of awards for her legal affairs Illinois at Chicago. A former associate the University of Essex. He has worked coverage. Dearbhail is also a former of Milton Friedman, she has written as an economist with the Central Young Irish Medical Journalist of the sixteen books and around 400 scholarly Bank of Ireland, the Economic and Year. She is a member of the Law Council pieces on topics ranging from technical Social Research Institute and DKM of the National University of Ireland, economics and statistics to transgender Economic Consultants. Colm is the Maynooth, and holds an LL.B (Law) advocacy (she transitioned from male author of several influential economic from Trinity College Dublin as well as to female in 1995) and the ethics of reports presented to a number of Irish a Masters Degree in Journalism from the bourgeois virtues. Her latest book is Governments and is a regular contributor Dublin City University. Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t to Irish radio and television on economic Follow Dearbhail @DearbhailDibs Explain the Modern World. affairs. Follow Deirdre @DeirdreMcClosk BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
Paul MCCulley GRAINNE MCKEEVER DAVID MCWILLIAMS is chairman of the Global Society of is a stand up comedian, secondary is co-founder of Kilkenomics and one of Fellows of the Global Interdependence school art teacher and a PhD student of Ireland’s leading economic commentators. Center (GIC) and managing director at Sociology in the UCD College of Social He was one of the very few to accurately PIMCO, the world’s premier fixed income Sciences and Law. Although her area predict that the boom was a bubble that investment advisory firm. A devout of study is citizenship she can’t help would all end in a monumental crash Keynesian and interpreter of the work of applying sociological theory to every with bank failures, negative equity, rising Hyman Minsky, Paul coined the terms aspect of her life. She’s one of Ireland unemployment and emigration. He is an “Minsky moment” and “shadow banking smartest up-and-coming comedians with economist, broadcaster and bestselling system.” performances at the Cat Laughs and author and writes columns for the Sunday Vodafone Comedy festivals to her credit. Business Post and Irish Independent. Follow Grainne @grainnemckeever David also runs an daily economic bulletin called 360 Macro. Follow David @davidmcw
JULIEN MERCILLE Wolfgang Münchau naoise nunn is a columnist for The Sunday Business is an associate editor of the Financial Times, is programme director of Kilkenomics. He Post, The Journal.ie and Broadsheet.ie. where he writes a weekly column about was also artistic director of the Cat Laughs He appears regularly on Irish television the European Union and the European Comedy Festival. He established the and radio as an expert on current economy. Before taking up this position Leviathan political cabaret, mainly hosted affairs. He received his PhD in 2007 in September 2003, he was co-editor of by David McWilliams and the MindField from UCLA in geography (geopolitics Financial Times Deutschland for two years. spoken word arena at Electric Picnic and US foreign policy). Previously, he Before joining FT Deutschland, Wolfgang which has now been running for ten years. received an MA from the University of was a Frankfurt correspondent and later Naoise has worked on a number of political Kentucky in geography, and a BA from economics correspondent of the Financial campaigns and co-authored a book with McGill University, Montreal, Canada, from Times, reporting on the preparation for Public Accounts Committee Chairman, John whence he hails. the final stage of monetary union and the McGuinness. He has a degree in politics launch of the euro. Follow Julien @JulienMercille from Queen’s University Belfast. Follow Wolfgang @EuroBriefing Follow Naoise @naoisen CONTRIBUTORS
Dara Ó Briain MARK O’BYRNE Kieran O’Hea is one of the best-known and most prolific is the Research Director of international gold specialises in digital economics and digital comedians in Britain and Ireland. As well broker, GoldCore, which he founded in 2003. strategy, Kieran left Ireland in 2012 to take as writing and performing major stand-up GoldCore won the Moneymate Financial up the role of first Chief Digital Officer of comedy tours, Dara presents a diverse Analyst of 2006 when they correctly warned Brisbane. There he delivered a number slate of TV programmes including, most of the coming property crash in Ireland of innovations including the Brisbane recently Go 8 Bit, in which guests play and the global debt crisis. Business Digital Audit, the Brisbane Digital Economy classic video games; Robot Wars, in which Insider recently listed O’Byrne as one of Strategy and the PwC Chair in Digital people build robots to destroy each other; the 51 best people in European finance to Economy. Now back in Ireland, he continues and Stargazing Live with Professor Brian follow on Twitter. He contributes to media to promote novel concepts including FDI 2.0 Cox, in which people discover the wonders of internationally including Bloomberg, CNBC, and believes in a regional digital economy the heavens. He also presents BBC2’s Mock Reuters, Wall Street Journal, the FT, RTE, where every city and town can have its own the Week. Today FM etc. Unique Digital Proposition. Follow Dara @daraobriain Follow Mark @MarkTOByrne Follow Kieran @Kieran_OHea
COLM O’REGAN Jim Rickards STEVE ROTH is a critically-acclaimed stand-up is editor of Strategic Intelligence for is a Seattle-based serial entrepreneur, comedian, columnist and broadcaster. He Agora Financial as well as the founder and a student of economics and writes a weekly column for The Cork News of the James Rickards Project: an inquiry evolution. He is an author at Evonomics and has written for The Irish Times and into complex dynamics of geopolitics and and also blogs at Asymptosis, Angry BBC Online Magazine. He is a regular capital. He is also the author of New York Bear, and Seeking Alpha. contributor on Irish radio and on the BBC Times bestsellers The New Case for Gold, Follow Steve @asymptosis World Service. His stand-up has also Currency Wars: The Making of the Next featured on RTÉ’s Late Late Show and Global Crisis and The Death of Money: Comedy Central. His series of books on The Coming Collapse of the International Irish Mammies has been a huge success Financial System. Jim’s newest book, and his Twitter account @irishmammies The Road to Ruin will be published in has more that 214,000 followers. His November. latest book Bolloxology is already a Follow Jim @JamesGRickards best-seller. Follow Colm @colmoregan BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
MARTIN SANDBU Kimberly Scharf SHAWNA SCOTT is Economics Editorial Writer at the Financial is Professor of Economics at Warwick owns and operates Sex Siopa, Ireland’s Times. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, University and co-founder of Public first health and design focused sex and Economics from Oxford University and a Economics UK (PEUK), a consortium of shop. In the two years since she started, Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from UK based researchers and policymakers Shawna has won Best ecommerce Harvard University. He’s worked at Columbia based in the UK. She is an elected member website in Ireland at the Realex Fire Web University and is part of the senior advisory of the Royal Economic Society council and Awards. Shawna also gives talks around team at the Earth Institute there. He’s consulted a mentor for the Royal Economic Society’s the country to promote sex-positivity and with governmental and non-governmental Women’s Committee. She has served on the encouraging us to open up our national organisations in Latin America, Africa and editorial boards for the Journal of Public dialogue around sex. Asia, primarily on the issue of natural resource Economics and Fiscal Studies, and is Follow Shawna @SexSiopa development. He is founding chair of the currently serving on the editorial board of Norwegian think-tank Liberalt Laboratorium. International Tax and Public Finance. Follow Martin @MESandbu Follow Kimberly @KimberlyScharf
ROBERT SHRIMSLEY KARL SPAIN GERARD STEMBRIDGE is the Managing Editor of FT.com. is probably best known in Ireland for his TV is an author, playwright, screenwriter, Before this he has served as the FT’s series Karl Spain Wants a Woman, which director, broadcaster and co-creator of, chief political correspondent and news was a major success in that not only did among many things, the legendary Scrap editor. He writes weekly for the Notebook he get huge ratings but also found himself Saturday satirical radio series. His most column, a satirical look at the week’s a woman! He’s performed stand-up on recent book, a satirical novel called The news and for the FT Weekend Magazine. television and live all over the world – the Effect of Her, was published in 2014. Follow Robert @robertshrimsley US, the Middle East, Australia and the UK. He regularly does corporate gigs and spends all his money on sweets and comics. He has also performed at every Cat Laughs Comedy Festival since 2002. He was recently seen on RTÉ’s Operation Transformation.
Follow Karl @karlkingov CONTRIBUTORS
RORY SUTHERLAND NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB NICk webb is widely regarded as one of the most spent 20 years as a derivatives trader/ is the back page business columnist for creative and influential minds in the risk taker before becoming a researcher in the Sunday Times as well as a business advertising business, Rory Sutherland is practical, mathematical and philosophical commentator for Today FM’s The Last Word executive creative director of Ogilvy UK, problems in probability. He is the author of and TV3’s Sunday AM. The former national part of one of the biggest agencies in the a multivolume philosophical essay, Incerto: journalist of the year was the Business world. His sharp and witty TED talks on The Black Swan, Fooled by Randomness, Editor of the Sunday Independent for five life and business have been viewed by and Antifragile. He has also published years and previously worked with the millions and his Wiki Man column in The more than 45 scholarly papers in statistical Sunday Tribune, Business & Finance and Spectator is essential reading for anyone physics, statistics, philosophy, ethics, Business Plus. He is the co-author of two with an interest on how technology economics, international affairs and number one best-selling books about the affects us. quantitative finance, all around the notion Irish economic crisis, Wasters and Follow Rory @rorysutherland of risk and probability. The Untouchables. Follow Nassim @nntaleb
DERMOT WHELAN LINDA YUEH is a recent winner of two PPI Radio is an economist, broadcaster, and author. Awards for Dermot and Dave on Today Linda is Fellow in Economics at St FM. He has performed live at many Edmund Hall, Oxford University, Adjunct comedy festivals including The Cat Professor of Economics at London Laughs and the Edinburgh Fringe and Business School, and Visiting Professor his Today FM Podcast series called of Economics at Peking University. She is Booze Chronicles won him a prestigious a TV and radio presenter, for BBC Radio 4 NYC Festivals Radio Award. Previously and BBC World Service, as well as having he hosted RTÉ’s hit TV show Republic fronted BBC TV series, including The of Telly. New Middle Class, Next Billionaires, and Follow Dermot @DermotTodayFM Working Lives. Follow Linda @lindayueh BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM PLANNER
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DESIGNING A UNIQUE DIGITAL THE WORLD’S FINEST UNDER- PAYOFF: THE HIDDEN LOGIC THAT THURSDAY THE SET THEATRE PROPOSITION FOR KILKENNY’S COVER ECONOMIST: TIM HARFORD SHAPES OUR MOTIVATIONS ECONOMY W/ DAVID MCWILLIAMS € € 10TH NOV 12:30pm FREE (75 mins) 7:00pm €20/€18 (60 mins) 9:30pm 20/ 18 (75 mins) THE ECONOMICS OF BERNIE WHY PLAY FAIR WHEN YOU CLEERE’S THEATRE BAR SANDERS AND THE NEW LEFT CAN CHEAT? – THE TARNISHED 8:15pm €15/€13 (75 mins) ECONOMICS OF SPORT 9:45pm €15/€13 (75 mins) CHEQUE-BOOK DIPLOMACY: HOW CHINA BOUGHT THE HOLE IN THE WALL WORLD. WHAT’S NEXT? 9:30pm SOLD OUT (60 mins)
11:30am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm 12am | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Agenda NAMA, VULTURE FUNDS AND FRIDAY at REPOSSESSIONS: THE NEW DAN ARIELY INTRODUCED BY WATERGATE THEATRE Kilkenomics LOCK-OUT? DAVID MCWILLIAMS 11TH NOV 12:30pm FREE (Booking required) (120 mins) 7:00pm €20/€18 (75 mins) 9:00pm SOLD OUT (75 mins) CURRENCY WARS: THE SET THEATRE THE MAKING OF THE NEXT CRASH & LEARN: GLOBAL CRISIS 7:45pm €15/€13 (60 mins) SHOULD WE CHANGE THE WAY WE TEACH ECONOMICS? SYRIA: THE FRONT LINE OF SMASH AND GRAB: FRI 6:30pm SOLD OUT (75 mins) A GLOBAL ECONOMIC WAR THE ECONOMICS OF HOLE IN THE WALL IRISH WAGE CLAIMS 8:15pm €20/€18 (75 mins) THE VILLAGE INN 10:30pm €15/€13 (60 mins)
THE GREAT BEAR: NEO-LIBERALISM, THE VIRUS CLEERE’S THEATRE BAR PUTIN’S RUSSIA – FRIEND OR FOE AFFECTING 8:30pm €15/€13 (75 mins) MODERN ECONOMICS 10:30pm €15/€13 (60 mins)
11:30am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm 12am | | | | | | | | | | | | | | I WASN’T ALWAYS LIKE THIS, THE ROAD TO RUIN: CENTRAL BANKS: SATURDAY YOU KNOW? REVEALING THE JIM RICKARDS WITH UTOPIA FOR REALISTS: THE CASE DOES CAPITALISM NEED A DESTROYERS OR SAVIOURS JARGON-BUSTING… AGAIN THE SET THEATRE HIDDEN LIVES OF ECONOMISTS DAVID MCWILLIAMS FOR A UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME WORLD WAR TO SURVIVE? OR BOTH 9:00pm €20/€18 (60 mins) 3:00pm €15/€13 (75 mins) 5:30pm €20/€18 (75 mins) 12TH NOV 12:00pm €15/€13 (60 mins) 1:30pm SOLD OUT (60 mins) 7:30pm €20/€18 (60 mins) THE PROFESSIONALS: MOBOCRACY! IS POPULISM DEBUNKING ECONOMICS HOW TO FIX IRELAND’S NEW “THE BIG FOUR” HOLDING THE RESULT OF BLINKERED MORE ECONOMICS OF SEX WITH STEVE KEEN CLEERE’S THEATRE BAR HOUSING CRISIS THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM ECONOMICS? 10:15pm €15/€13 (60 mins) 2:00pm €12/€10 (60 mins) € € 4:15pm 15/ 13 (60 mins) 7:30pm €15/€13 (60 mins) 8:45pm €20/€18 (60 mins) NEW VOICES / NEW IDEAS: THE CONSEQUENCE OF SPACE X, GOOGLE CARS AND IRELAND, BREXIT AND THE HOLE IN THE WALL DESTROYING PENSIONS THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORT € € FUTURE OF THE EU 2:00pm 15/ 13 (60 mins) 4:30pm SOLD OUT (60 mins) 10:00pm €15/€13 (60 mins) WHAT’S HOT AND THE FUTURE OF THINGS: TRUMP | CLINTON: ARE WE WHAT’S NOT: A GUIDE TO WILL TECHNOLOGY RUIN US OR WITNESSING THE BEGINNING OF ormonde kilbride INVESTING IN 2017 SAVE US? A NEW AMERICAN CIVIL WAR? 3:00pm €15/€13 (60 mins) 7:00pm €20/€18 (75 mins) 9:00pm €20/€18 (75 mins) BREXIT: COULD ENGLAND’S AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS DIFFICULTY BE IRELAND’S THE TAX MAN AWAY: IRISH-BASED Watergate Theatre OPPORTUNITY? MULTINATIONALS VERSUS THE EU 4:00pm €20/€18 (75 mins) 6:00pm €20/€18 (75 mins)
11:30am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm 12am | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
KILKENOMICS BRUNCH SUNDAY ORMONDE KINGS 11:30am SOLD OUT (90 mins) 13TH NOV THE ALTERNATIVES TO BANKING: FROM SHARIA TO HOLE IN THE WALL THE CREDIT UNION 2:00pm €15/€13 (60 mins) TEN DARK ECONOMIC SECRETS OF 1916 CLEERE’S THEATRE BAR – PADDY CULLIVAN 2:15pm €15/€13 (60 mins) SOME LIKE IT HARD: WILL THE WORLD COPE ORMONDE KILBRIDE WITH BREXIT? 3:15pm €15/€13 (60 mins) The Most Intolerant Wins THE MOST IMPORTANT the Dictatorship of the ECONOMIC EVENTS THE SET THEATRE Small Minority FOR 2017 1:15pm €15/€13 (60 mins) 5:30pm €20/€18 (60 mins) BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
DESIGNING A UNIQUE DIGITAL THE ECONOMICS OF BERNIE PROPOSITION FOR SANDERS AND THE NEW LEFT KILKENNY’S ECONOMY THURSDAY 10TH NOVEMBER THURSDAY 10TH NOVEMBER In his campaign for the Democratic Party nomination for US Kilkenny is a medieval city but is our digital economy still President, Bernie Sanders broke new ground in American politics in the dark ages? A unique digital proposition is important with an economic policy regarded by some as “socialist”. Led by to a city with historical culture, quirks and characteristics. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party in the UK has steered to the left Kilkenny’s past is as important as its future. Across the world’s after 20 years of centrist Blair economics. What are the political cities local digital hubs are taking root and emerging in and economic factors driving this new left leaning tendency, refurbished bakeries, old train stations and breweries. They where will it lead and is it sustainable? are all intrinsically different yet have the potential to create Host: Gerard Stembridge Contributors: Stephanie Kelton, hundreds of jobs. Kilkenny led the way with product design for Bill Black, Paul McCulley, Mike Driver export in the 1960s, can it now reposition itself to maximise the opportunity for digital design from a global perspective? 8:15pm-9:30 (Duration: 75 mins) Cleere’s Theatre Bar €15/€13 (Regular/Concession)
Sponsored by Local Enterprise Office, Kilkenny Host: Colm O’Regan Contributors: John Cleere, Kieran O’Hea, Nicholas Gruen CHEQUE-BOOK DIPLOMACY: HOW CHINA BOUGHT THE 12:30pm-1:45 (Duration: 75 mins) The Set Theatre WORLD. WHAT’S NEXT? THURSDAY 10TH NOVEMBER FREE China is buying companies, exploiting natural resources, building infrastructure and giving loans all over the world in a concerted effort at global economic domination. The country has THE WORLD’S FINEST rapidly become a game-changing force in both the developed UNDERCOVER ECONOMIST: and developing world, threatening Western companies and killing jobs in Europe and America. How will this all play out and TIM HARFORD should we be fearful?
IN CONVERSATION WITH Host: Naoise Nunn Contributors: Linda Yueh, DAVID MCWILLIAMS Bill Emmott, Pinchas Landau THURSDAY 10TH NOVEMBER You don’t find many economists who sell over one million books, 9:30pm-10:30 (Duration: 60 mins) but Tim Harford is one of them. His work is incisive, sees the world Hole in the Wall from a difficult angle and will change the way you think. He is a SOLD OUT senior columnist for the Financial Times. His long-running column, “The Undercover Economist”, reveals the economic ideas behind everyday experiences, while he also writes op-eds, interviews and long feature articles for the FT. In this not-to-be-missed show, Tim talks no nonsense economics with David McWilliams.
Contributors: David McWilliams, Tim Harford
7:00pm-8:00 (Duration: 60 mins) The Set Theatre €20/€18 (Regular/Concession) SHOWS
PAYOFF: THE HIDDEN LOGIC CRASH & LEARN: SHOULD WE THAT SHAPES CHANGE THE WAY WE OUR MOTIVATIONS TEACH ECONOMICS? THURSDAY 10TH NOVEMBER FRIDAY 11TH NOVEMBER Fancy a masterclass in economic psychology? Every wonder We’ve just been through one of the biggest financial disasters why you’re such a sucker for advertising? Why do we make since 1929 and yet economics teachers seem not to have elementary mistakes choosing pensions, mortgages, insurance noticed! Just how far can economics be called a science and schemes or even shopping for flights? Some of the biggest how can we get beyond abstract graphs and curves to show how and best minds in their field assemble for a masterclass in it’s about everyday life. Some of the world’s leading economists behavioural economics. This will save you money! discuss how we can change how we think about economics and perhaps avoid future crises. Host: Colm O’Regan Contributors: Liam Delaney, Sarah Carey, Joris Luyendijk, Deirdre McCloskey Host: Dermot Whelan Contributors: Rory Sutherland, Dan Ariely, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Liam Delaney 9:30pm-10:45 (Duration: 75 mins) The Set Theatre 6:30pm-7:45 (Duration: 75 mins) €20/€18 (Regular/Concession) The Village Inn €20/€18 (Regular/Concession)
WHY PLAY FAIR WHEN YOU CAN CHEAT? – THE TARNISHED NAMA, VULTURE FUNDS AND ECONOMICS OF SPORT REPOSSESSIONS: THE NEW THURSDAY 10TH NOVEMBER LOCK-OUT? TH Do you think José Mourinho is honest? Is Bradley Wiggins above FRIDAY 11 NOVEMBER cheating? When margins are so slender and the stakes so high, The number of homes repossessed by mortgage lenders has who is right and who is wrong? The recent Olympic games exploded: last year’s figure was double that of 2014 and the and World Cup were mired in controversy with allegations of human cost of this continuing fallout from our Great Recession corruption, doping and bribery. A brilliant sporting panel led by is catastrophic. Our panel looks at the strange beast that is the award-winning Financial Times football writer Simon Kuper NAMA and its deals with foreign vulture funds who’ve been explore the darker arts of winning at all costs. And can cheating buying up troubled loans for a song and are now turning the in sport tell us anything about cheating in finance? screws on borrowers. Who are the players behind this new lock- out and what can we do about them? Host: Konstantin Kisin Contributors: Simon Kuper, Liam Halligan, Peter Antonioni Host: David McWilliams Contributors: Stephen Kinsella, Cormac Lucey, Bill Black, Colm McCarthy
9:45pm-11:00 (Duration: 75 mins) Cleere’s Theatre Bar 7:00pm-8:15 (Duration: 75 mins) Watergate Theatre €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) €20/€18 (Regular/Concession)
12:30pm-2:30 (Duration: 120mins) Watergate Theatre FREE (Booking required. See Kilkenomics.com for details) FRIDAY 11TH NOVEMBER Brought to you by TV3 and Virgin Media Business BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
CURRENCY WARS: THE THE GREAT BEAR: PUTIN’S MAKING OF THE NEXT RUSSIA – FRIEND OR FOE GLOBAL CRISIS FRIDAY 11TH NOVEMBER FRIDAY 11TH NOVEMBER The Cold War may be over but the propaganda war between Currency wars are one of the most destructive and feared Russia and its allies; and the US and its allies continues outcomes in international economics. At best, they offer the across the front lines of media, social media and the dark web. sorry spectacle of countries’ stealing growth from their trading Accusations abound of Russian involvement in hacking that partners. At worst, they degenerate into inflation, recession, has sown discord and confusion in the US Presidential election. retaliation, and sometimes actual violence. Left unchecked, the Meanwhile, the US and EU impose heavy sanctions on Russia next currency war could lead to a crisis worse than the panic over its involvement in Ukraine – something Russia insists is of 2008. What will happen with Sterling post-Brexit, where will overstated by the West. Where lies the truth and what are the the dollar be after the US presidential election and will the Euro economic consequences for all of us. survive as a currency? Host: Konstantin Kisin Contributors: Liam Halligan, Host: Naoise Nunn Contributors: Jim Rickards, Mike Driver, Bill Emmott, Deirdre McCloskey Steve Keen, Paul McCulley 8:30pm-9:45 (Duration: 75 mins) Cleere’s Theatre Bar 7:45pm-8:45 (Duration: 60 mins) The Set Theatre €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) DAN ARIELY INTRODUCED BY SYRIA: THE FRONT LINE OF A DAVID MCWILLIAMS GLOBAL ECONOMIC WAR FRIDAY 11TH NOVEMBER FRIDAY 11TH NOVEMBER One of the world’s foremost behavioural economists, Dan’s TED It has been the deadliest conflict of the 21st century involving talks have been watched nearly 8 million times and Kilkenomics an internal civil war and proxy wars between Shia and Sunni is delighted to welcome him back to Kilkenny. Following Muslim factions and between US-led forces and Russian forces. the painful treatment he received for injuries sustained in But what are the economic factors behind the Syrian war? What an explosion, Dan became engrossed with the idea that we happened when a drought in 2007 forced millions of people into repeatedly and predictably make the wrong decisions in many the cities and can there be an economic solution to this tragic aspects of our lives. His books, Irrationally Yours, Predictably and catastrophic situation? Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality and The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, have made behavioural economics accessible, Host: Colm O’Regan Contributors: Joris Luyendijk, and his legendary talks are intriguing, revealing and often Pinchas Landau, Matthew Bishop, Stephanie Kelton very funny.
Host: David McWilliams Contributor: Dan Ariely 8:15pm-9:30 (Duration: 75 mins) Hole in the Wall 9:00pm-10:15 (Duration: 75 mins) €20/€18 (Regular/Concession) Watergate Theatre SOLD OUT SHOWS
NEO-LIBERALISM, I WASN’T ALWAYS LIKE THIS, THE VIRUS AFFECTING YOU KNOW? REVEALING THE MODERN ECONOMICS HIDDEN LIVES OF ECONOMISTS FRIDAY 11TH NOVEMBER SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER Popularised by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, neo- We all think we know public people from their public profiles – liberalism has arguably been the driving force behind financial the biographies on their websites or dust-jackets of their latest meltdowns, environmental disasters, the military-industrial books – and we see and hear them talk about their professional complex and even the rise of Donald Trump. But why has the insights and public lives. Rarely, though, do we get to know the left failed to come up with an alternative over the past three real people behind the potted bio. Dermot Whelan chats to some decades? What are the alternatives or is this just as good as of our most intriguing contributors about their ‘other’ lives. it gets? *Includes free tea, coffee and croissants*
Host: Kevin Gildea Contributors: Robert Kadar, Host: Dermot Whelan Contributors: Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Steve Roth, Rory Sutherland, Julien Mercille, Nicholas Gruen Rory Sutherland, Deirdre McCloskey
10:30pm-11:30 (Duration: 60 mins) 12:00pm-1:00 (Duration: 60 mins) Cleere’s Theatre Bar The Set Theatre €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) €15/€13 (Regular/Concession)
SMASH AND GRAB: THE THE ROAD TO RUIN: THE ECONOMICS OF GLOBAL ELITE’S SECRET PLAN IRISH WAGE CLAIMS FOR THE NEXT FINANCIAL FRIDAY 11TH NOVEMBER CRISIS: JIM RICKARDS IN Ireland is facing a winter of discontent with strikes proposed by secondary school teachers and even the Garda Síochána CONVERASTION WITH threatened to leave the country un-policed for several Fridays DAVID MCWILLIAMS in November. What is behind this new wave of pay claims from SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER the public sector, are they justified, should the Government pay Jim is editor of Strategic Intelligence for Agora Financial as them to avoid societal breakdown and where will the money well as the founder of the James Rickards Project: an inquiry come from? into complex dynamics of geopolitics and capital. He is also the author of New York Times bestsellers The New Case for Host: Gerard Stembridge Contributors: Colm McCarthy, Gold, Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis and Cormac Lucey, Stephen Kinsella The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Financial System. Jim’s newest book, The Road to Ruin will be 10:30pm-11:30 (Duration: 60 mins) published in November – get the exclusive preview right here Hole in the Wall at Kilkenomics! €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) Contributors: David McWilliams, Jim Rickards
1:30pm-2:30 (Duration: 60 mins) The Set Theatre SOLD OUT BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
DEBUNKING ECONOMICS UTOPIA FOR REALISTS: THE WITH STEVE KEEN CASE FOR A SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME Debunking Economics explains why economists think the way SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER they do, and points out the flaws in their thinking which they Many regard the Utrecht experiment of a basic income as the either don’t realise, don’t appreciate, or just plain ignore. Steve way forward; and one of the key architects of this scheme, Keen’s books and his website debunkingeconomics.com are a Rutger Breman is in Kilkenny – together with an international breath of fresh air in the world of economics, blasting away the panel – to tell us how it works and why it can improve hot air and telling it like it is. Don’t miss this opportunity to see everyone’s life. Debate has become to heat up on the concept the scourge of economists from Down Under live and in person! of governments providing their citizens with a fixed amount Host: Konstantin Kisin Contributor: Steve Keen of money, regardless of their income. Recently, Barack Obama suggested that as technology and artificial intelligence begin to 2:00pm-3:00 (Duration: 60 mins) replace human paid work, it will become increasingly urgent. Cleere’s Theatre Bar Our panel examines the pros and cons of free money for €12/€10 (Regular/Concession) everyone. Host: Gerard Stembridge Contributors: Rutger Bregman, Peter Antonioni, Mark Blyth, Deirdre McCloskey, Martin Sandbu
THE CONSEQUENCE OF 3:00pm-4:15 (Duration: 75 mins) DESTROYING PENSIONS The Set Theatre
SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) The pensions crisis that has stored itself up for the future has its roots in demographic change and greatly extended life-expectancies, meaning many government programmes are perilously underfunded. Exacerbating the problem has been the WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT: catastrophic collapse in the value of so many pension funds as A GUIDE TO INVESTING IN 2017 a result of the financial collapses of 2008 onwards. Thankfully, SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER we may all live long lives into our 80s now but how are we going Banks are now basically charging you to deposit money and the to pay for those 20 odd years beyond retirement? financial markets are looking increasingly volatile. Against this Host: Kevin Gildea Contributors: Colm McCarthy, Cormac Lucey, background, our panel of investment and markets experts takes Peter Antonioni, Pinchas Landau a look at the year ahead and what seem like the best bets for safe-guarding and getting the best return on your hard-earned 2:00pm-3:00 (Duration: 60 mins) money, whether that’s gold, bitcoin, commodities or currencies, Hole in the Wall they’ll have plenty of insights and suggestions. €15/€13 (Regular/Concession)
Sponsored by GoldCore.
Host: David McWilliams Contributors: Jim Rickards, Paul McCulley, Mark O’Byrne, Mike Driver
3:00pm-4:00 (Duration: 60 mins) Ormonde Kilbride €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) SHOWS
BREXIT: COULD ENGLAND’S DOES MONEY REALLY MAKE DIFFICULTY BE YOU HAPPY: IRELAND’S OPPORTUNITY? SPACE X, GOOGLE CARS AND SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORT The Brexit vote in June was one of the political shocks of the SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER decade. The British Prime Minister is taking a hard line and the While governments invest billions in legacy road and rail EU establishment wants to punish the UK as a warning to others systems that take decades to develop, aggressive new who might ruin the European project. How will this all play out innovators are pushing the boundaries of transport. Elon once Teresa May presses the nuclear Article 50 in March 2017 Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are fiercely competing and how can Ireland box clever and position itself to potentially to develop civilian space flight and Elon Musk is developing profit at Britain’s loss? a Hyperloop that will transport people at 1,200Kph in a tube. Host: Colm O’Regan Contributors: Wolfgang Münchau, Meanwhile, Google is mastering the self-driving car. Science Diane Coyle, Cormac Lucey, Larry Elliott, Matthew Bishop fiction is becoming fact, but what are the consequences for work, the environment and for legacy transport systems?
4:00pm-5:15 (Duration: 75 mins) Host: Karl Spain Contributors: Rory Cellan-Jones, Watergate Theatre Rory Sutherland €20/€18 (Regular/Concession) 4:30pm-5:30 (Duration: 60 mins) Hole in the Wall HOW TO FIX IRELAND’S SOLD OUT NEW HOUSING CRISIS SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER Repossessions of homes in Ireland have doubled in the past DOES CAPITALISM NEED A year. There are 40% more homeless people than last year, 30% WORLD WAR TO SURVIVE? of whom are children. Meanwhile, rents have increased by 10%, SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER while the supply of rented accommodation has fallen by 20%. World War Two plunged the world into an unimaginable New Central Bank rules have made it more and more difficult for catastrophe but it also jolted it out of the Great Depression. The people to get on the property ladder. What has caused this crisis big powers put their nations on a total war footing, mobilising and what can be done to solve it? all of their resources to winning and so the military-industrial Host: Des Bishop Contributor: Ronan Lyons, Colm McCarthy, complex was born. The post-war era saw unprecedented Tom Lyons investment in re-construction and the global economy boomed. Has capitalism now reached a saturation point where a hard 4:15pm-5:15 (Duration: 60 mins) reset of a new world war is needed? Cleere’s Theatre Bar Host: Gerard Stembridge Contributors: Paul McCulley, €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) Pippa Malmgren, Bill Emmott, Peter Antonioni, Robert Kadar
5:30pm-6:45 (Duration: 75 mins) The Set Theatre €20/€18 (Regular/Concession) BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE PROFESSIONALS: THE TAX MAN AWAY: “THE BIG FOUR” HOLDING THE IRISH-BASED MULTINATIONALS KEYS TO THE KINGDOM VERSUS THE EU SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER Between them, Deloitte, PWC, Ernst and Young and KPMG control Napoleon once said “to govern is to choose”. After the Apple a massive 80% market share of global accounting and audit case, does the Irish government have to make a choice between services. They wield great power as advisers to governments, American money or European morals – or is there a ‘third way’? companies and the world’s wealthiest individuals but all this This summer, the European Commission shocked the world concentration of power has a dark side. These companies have with a ruling that Ireland had broken state aid rules in its tax been accused of being complicit in the financial collapses since 2008 and of conflicts of interest in advising governments on tax dealings with Apple and that the company now owed us €13 billion. Many immediately thought of how to spend this windfall policy at the same time as advising clients on tax avoidance. while the Government said it would appeal the ruling. Our panel Our panel delves deeper to see who really holds the keys to debates what should happen next. And why. the kingdom.
Host: Colm O’Regan Contributors: Wolfgang Münchau, Host: Konstantin Kisin Contributors: Bill Black, Mike Driver, Cormac Lucey, Larry Elliott, Mike Driver Tom Lyons, Steve Roth
7:30pm-8:30 (Duration: 60 mins) 6:00pm-7:15 (Duration: 75 mins) Watergate Theatre Cleere’s Theatre Bar €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) €20/€18 (Regular/Concession)
THE FUTURE OF THINGS: WILL CENTRAL BANKS: DESTROYERS TECHNOLOGY RUIN US OR SAVIOURS OR BOTH SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER OR SAVE US? Are the world’s central bankers making a big mistake? The TH SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER common orthodoxy between many of them is that continuing Since the dawn of time, we seem to have been perpetually record ultra low interest rates will eventually stimulate their engaged in a race to develop technology that can either speed economies. But is this approach, adopted seven years ago now, up or slow down progression toward the inevitable extinction actually causing more harm than good? of the human species. We’ve developed renewable energy to replace the carbon-based power that will eventually make the Host: David McWilliams Contributors: Paul McCulley, earth uninhabitable for humans; invented drones to fight our Jim Rickards, Pinchas Landau, Pippa Malmgren, Nicholas Gruen wars and, now, civilian spaceflight to enable colonisation of other planets once we’ve destroyed this one. Are we capable of 7:30pm-8:30 (Duration: 60 mins) inventing our way out of Armageddon or will the robots rule us The Set Theatre in the end? €20/€18 (Regular/Concession)
Host: Dara Ó Briain Contributors: Rory Cellan-Jones, Rory Sutherland, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Nick Webb
7:00pm-8:15 (Duration: 75 mins) Ormonde Kilbride €20/€18 (Regular/Concession) SHOWS
MOBOCRACY! IS POPULISM TRUMP | CLINTON: ARE WE THE RESULT OF WITNESSING THE BEGINNING BLINKERED ECONOMICS? OF A NEW AMERICAN SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER CIVIL WAR? Across the Western world, trust in politicians is at an all time SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER low and the principles of representative democracy are being By the time the doors open for this gig, we will know the verdict undermined. Into this vacuum have arrived populist leaders of the American people in probably the most controversial promising to take on and root out the “establishment”. How and divisive presidential election campaign in history. Their have the economic policies of the last 20 years led to this new democratic decision will, for good or evil, shape the economics form of politics that has brought us Brexit? and geopolitics of the world for the next decade and more. Our Host: Colm O’Regan Contributors: Wolfgang Münchau, panel of experts will look at the new Leader of the Free World Pippa Malmgren, Matthew Bishop, Bill Emmott, Nicholas Gruen and examine what lies ahead for the US and the world. Host: Des Bishop Contributors: Stephanie Kelton, 8:45pm-9:45 (Duration: 60 mins) Bill Black, Julien Mercille, Deirdre McCloskey, Paul McCulley Cleere’s Theatre Bar €20/€18 (Regular/Concession) 9:00pm-10:15 (Duration: 75 mins) Ormonde Kilbride JARGON-BUSTING… AGAIN €20/€18 (Regular/Concession) SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER Kilkenomics’ original game show returns with a new batch of baffling and confounding economic and financial words and NEW VOICES / NEW IDEAS: phrases designed to bemuse, amuse and enthuse. Economists IRELAND, BREXIT AND THE and comedians attempt to outdo one another in demystifying the coded language of the dismal art. FUTURE OF THE EU SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER Host: Dara Ó Briain Contributors: Karl Spain, Mark Blyth, Given the prospect of a “hard” Brexit beginning early next year, Cormac Lucey, Peter Antonioni, Dermot Whelan what are the prospects for the future of the European project, the Euro as a currency and the post-war consensus that has 9:00pm-10:00 (Duration: 60 mins) given us 60 years of peace and relative prosperity? Some of The Set Theatre Kilkenomics first-time contributors give us some fresh thinking €20/€18 (Regular/Concession) and new ideas.
Host: Naoise Nunn Contributors: Mehreen Khan, Robert Shrimsley, Tom Lyons, Martin Sandbu
10:00pm-11:00 (Duration: 60 mins) Hole in the Wall €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM
MORE ECONOMICS OF SEX THE ALTERNATIVES TO SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER BANKING: FROM SHARIA TO THE Back by popular demand! Shawna and Peter give us a basic lesson in economics by discussing everything from sex work to CREDIT UNION TH sex toys, online dating to online porn. Don’t worry if you don’t SUNDAY 13 NOVEMBER know that much about economics. This event is for everyone! Since the financial collapses of recent years and the cratering Shawna doesn’t allow Peter to talk in jargon and makes him of trust in the banking system, much greater interest has been explain everything on his handy whiteboard. developing in the sphere of alternative banking. Peer-to-peer lending, co-operative and community-based financial services Host: Grainne McKeever Contributors: Peter Antonioni, such as the credit union movement and even financial services Shawna Scott offering ethical policies have grown hugely. Will they survive and can they begin to replace mainstream banking altogether? 10:15pm-11:15 (Duration: 60 mins) Cleere’s Theatre Bar Host: Kevin Gildea Contributors: Kimberley Scharf, Pinchas Landau, Steve Roth, Peter Antonioni €15/€13 (Regular/Concession)
2:00pm-3:00 (Duration: 60 mins) Hole in the Wall KILKENOMICS BRUNCH €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER
Host: Gerard Stembridge Contributors: Deirdre McCloskey, Larry Elliott TEN DARK ECONOMIC SECRETS
11:30am-1:00pm (Duration: 90 mins) OF 1916 – PADDY CULLIVAN SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER Ormonde Kings Paddy Cullivan of Callan’s Kicks, The Late Late Show, Leviathan SOLD OUT and Kilkenomics brings you an audiovisual spectacular on the 100th Anniversary of the Easter Rising. Using satire, imagery, historical insight and song - Paddy reveals the 10 strangest financial secrets that happened during our rising, revolution The Most Intolerant Wins and counter-revolution (civil war). He also draws parallels with the Dictatorship of the those events’ effects on modern Ireland… Small Minority Why did Michael Collins demand a billion pounds in reparations SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER at the first Anglo-Irish Treaty meeting? Why were Free State Army Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Rory Sutherland discuss complexity Commandants paid the equivalent of €100,000 a year when the theory, how small intolerant minorities can determine general same rank today gets two-thirds of that? And what happened outcomes: why Europe is eating Halal, why GMOs will soon to the millions of dollars raised in America by DeValera? How be history, why behavioural science may never allow us to come we ended up owing Britain ‘annuities’ for years? Why understand economics and markets and why ethics may was austerity the choice of our first government, and how did result from the behaviour of a small minority not the that work out? And how well did we fare realising the economic preferences of populations. ambitions contained within the 1916 proclamation?
Host: Naoise Nunn Contributors: Nassim Nicholas Taleb Contributor: Paddy Cullivan
1:15pm-2:15 (Duration: 60 mins) 2:15pm-3:15 (Duration: 60 mins) The Set Theatre Cleere’s Theatre Bar €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) SHOWS
SOME LIKE IT HARD: THE MOST IMPORTANT WILL THE WORLD COPE ECONOMIC EVENTS FOR 2017 WITH BREXIT? SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER Some of the brightest and best of the Kilkenomics lineup The fallout from the Brexit vote has been felt across the globe convene for the final show of the festival to gaze into their tea and the unintended consequences of the British Prime Minister’s leaves and crystal balls and conjure up some predictions for tendecy towards a “hard” Brexit early next year could send how the economic world will unfold in 2017 and beyond. Don’t further shockwaves not yet being talked about. What are some miss this block-buster finale to the weekend. of the possible implications and is there even a chance it could Host: David McWilliams Contributors: Paul McCulley, end up being a positive for the UK and the wider world? Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Pinchas Landau, Steve Roth, Deirdre McCloskey, Mehreen Khan Host: Dara Ó Briain Contributors: David McWilliams, Robert Shrimsley, Mehreen Khan, Mark Blyth 5:30pm-6:30 (Duration: 60 mins) The Set Theatre 3:15pm-4:15 (Duration: 60 mins) 20/ 18 (Regular/Concession) Ormonde Kilbride € € €15/€13 (Regular/Concession) BOOKING INFORMATION: Box Office: 76 John Street, Kilkenny. Tel: 056 776 3837 WWW.KILKENOMICS.COM The market for something to believe in is infinite
If you’re going to tell the truth make them laugh or they’ll kill you
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