Everyman – The Untold Story of Economics

The economy is a fiction we wrote together, and it is in our hands to rewrite it. Cambridge economics professor Antara Haldar tells the story of economics like never before.

For a quarter of a millennium, Adam Smith’s invisible hand, ghostly and bloodied, has written the script of our lives. But can we turn the plot of our lives from an inevitable tragedy into a redemption story?

In this live, in conversation event, University of Cambridge economics professor, Antara Haldar, joins former first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, to make legible the invisible ink in which this script is etched. Antara will trace global capitalism’s arc from boom to bust through its key characters: economics’ textbook rational actor, Neo, and his reckless apostles—model finance bro, Finn; ambassador of globalization, Davos; envoy to distant lands, Wash; and the quintessence of the tech industry, Tek.

Antara will chart the most significant economic events in global history, from the birth of capitalism to the Great Depression, the 2008 Financial Crisis to Britain’s Brexit vote, and the inexorable rise of populism globally. Drawing on moral psychology, philosophy, evolutionary biology, and beyond, she will discuss the possibilities for how we might build on our capacity for cooperation to reinvent our broken institutions—and ourselves.

Join us for a bold retelling of the story of capitalism – one which upends 250 years of economic orthodoxy and asks the question: who is economics really for?

Event Schedule

6:15pm: Pre-event socialising and networking
A cash bar will be available for refreshments.

6:30pm: Event begins

7:45pm: Event ends

Speakers

Antara Haldar is a professor at the University of Cambridge and Visiting Faculty at Harvard University. She writes a globally syndicated monthly column for Project Syndicate, and has been published in the Atlantic, the Times Literary Supplement, WIRED, the Independent and elsewhere. Her award-winning research has received millions of dollars in funding, been covered by major media platforms like the Financial Times and NPR and cited by the World Development Report and White House.

Nicola Sturgeon was Scotland’s longest serving First Minister and the first woman to hold the office. She led Scotland through Brexit and the Covid pandemic, working with five UK Prime Ministers along the way. As SNP leader, she led her party to eight successive election victories. Nicola was elected as one of the inaugural members of the re-established Scottish Parliament in 1999. She is currently the MSP for Glasgow Southside. Before being elected First Minister in 2014, Nicola was the Deputy First Minister. She was also Scotland’s Health Secretary – the longest-serving in that role in the devolution – before a period as Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities. She also helped lead the Yes campaign in the 2014 independence referendum. Her autobiography, Frankly was published in August 2025.