Modern Enquiries into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

King’s College Cambridge is delighted to invite you to “Modern Enquiries into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations: International Prosperity and Development 250 Years After Adam Smith,” a two-day conference on 5–6 March 2026.

Convened by Gareth Austin (Cambridge), Alex Trew (Glasgow) and Toke Aidt (Cambridge), the conference brings together leading scholars to reflect on the history and theory of long-term economic growth and development, with sessions covering Adam Smith’s intellectual legacy, religion and moral sentiment, British economic development, finance, and colonial and global development. The conference concludes with a public forum chaired by Gillian Tett (Provost, King’s) featuring Sir Tim Besley, Matthew Agarwala and Jane Humphries.

Academic sessions take place in Keynes Hall, King’s College, with the Public Forum moving to the Arthur Goodhart Lecture Theatre at the Sidgwick Site.

Attendance is free but registration is required for the academic sessions; the Public Forum is open to all. The full programme can be found here. To register, please visit the Eventbrite page.