Simon Johnson: belief

Transcript context

…Last two questions. First, when you’re evaluating students — not just who will make a lot of money, but someone you might want to work with or you think will change how the rest of the world thinks about ideas — what are the non-obvious qualities you look for in those students? Sure, they should be smart, they should work hard, but what else? Ability to communicate. Daron and I actually have a course based on the book we’re teaching to MIT undergraduates right now. It’s a communications elective, Tyler. We have a fantastic writing coach working with us, and some superb TAs. We’re trying to help the students learn how to write persuasively about technology. Technology policy, sure, but about technology more broadly. It’s a lot of fun, and, I think, a good complement to their other parts of education, which are obviously much more technical, much more mathematical. I’m interested in, can people communicate ideas? Can they communicate with me? Can they communicate with other people, particularly about technical topics? And do it in a way that isn’t condescending, a way that explains things clearly, a way that invites further debate and conversation? And then, do they listen to the feedback they get and sharpen the messages? Last question: What will you do next, other than promote the book? Again, to repeat, everyone: Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle over Technology and Prosperity, Simon Johnson and Daron Acemoglu. But what next?…

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