How does free trade affect people around the world, especially when different cultures have different views of progress and poverty? A panel of Wake Forest University professors will address this and other issues related to free trade and human rights at a symposium March 24 at 7 p.m. in Tribble Hall’s DeTamble Auditorium at Wake Forest.
The symposium, titled “Free Trade and its Human Rights Ramifications,” is free and open to the public.
Four Wake Forest professors “Robert Whaples from the economic department, Ian Taplin from the sociology department, Peter Siavelis from the political science department and Jeanne Simonelli from the anthropology department” will present short statements representing different views on the topic and then invite the audience to participate in an open discussion.
Looking forward to a lively discussion, Whaples said, “Personally, I think that free trade is an important human right. In addition, economic evidence suggests that trade helps economies grow and that economic growth brings with it democratization and increased political liberties. A lot of people see it differently, but hopefully through this symposium, I’ll be able to win some people over.”
Sponsored by Amnesty International, the event is part of Wake Forest’s theme year, “Fostering Dialogue: Civil Discourse in an Academic Community,” which is dedicated to exploring how free people with passionate interests and beliefs can communicate openly without turning dialogue into discord.
For more information about the event, contact student coordinator Lakshmi Krishnan at 336-758-1515 or Edward Allen, associate professor of mathematics and co-chair of the theme-year committee, at 336-758-4854.
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