The Next 250 Years

When he published The Wealth of Nations in 1776, Adam Smith provided the blueprint for modern economics and political economy, uprooting conventional mercantilist assumptions. Two and a half centuries later, his seminal text remains as influential and widely read as ever. Co-hosted by the Adam Smith Institute and the Society of Professional Economists, The Next 250 Years asks a fundamental question: how do Smith's core insights apply to our rapidly changing future? We stand at a structural watershed that mirrors the dawn of the First Industrial Revolution. As Artificial Intelligence fundamentally redefines human labour, capital productivity, and value creation, we must ask whether Smith's mechanics of the division of labour still hold—and who the ultimate winners and losers of this technological leap will be. Simultaneously, breakthroughs across the life sciences promise to reshape how we live, raising crucial questions about regulation, innovation, and prosperity. Geopolitically, the "End of History" seems to have stalled. In a world increasingly dominated by state intervention, protectionism, and authoritarianism, Smith’s sharp critiques of mercantilism and government overreach are suddenly urgent once again. How do the principles of voluntary exchange and spontaneous order survive in this fragmented, high-friction world? To unpack these questions, we are bringing together an exceptional panel of academics, politicians, and industry experts: Jesse Norman MP — Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Dr Linda Yueh CBE — Fellow in Economics, St Edmund Hall, Oxford University and Adjunct Professor of Economics, London Business School Filippo Gaddo — Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal Silvia Andreoletti — Head of Communications, Adam Smith Institute Join us at the Adam Smith Institute on 16th November for an evening of debate and rigorous intellectual inquiry as we map out how Smith’s legacy will shape the centuries ahead. Event Schedule: 5:45 PM: Doors open 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Panel Discussion & Q&A 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM: Drinks Reception Location: Adam Smith Institute, 23 Great Smith Street, SW1P 3DJ Speakers: Jesse Norman MP Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire Jesse Norman MP is the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. He held a range of ministerial offices between 2016 and 2024, including Paymaster General and Financial Secretary to the Treasury, where he ran the Pandemic Furlough Scheme and set up the UK Infrastructure Bank. He was educated at Oxford (Classics), has a Masters and PhD in philosophy from UCL and has held fellowships at UCL, St Andrews and All Souls College, Oxford. His books include Edmund Burke: Politician, Philosopher, Prophet (2013), Adam Smith: What he Thought, and Why it Matters (2018), and a historical novel about the toxic rivalry of Francis Bacon and Edward Coke, The Winding Stair (2023), which he has also adapted for the stage. Jesse is also the co-founder and Chair of NMITE (www.nmite.ac.uk) in Hereford, the first greenfield UK university since 1974. NMITE opened in 2021, and most recently launched the UK's first undergraduate Autonomous Robotics (drones technologies) degree. Its mission is to transform the lives of young people, revolutionise UK higher education and regenerate Herefordshire and the Marches. Dr Linda Yueh CBE Fellow in Economics, St Edmund Hall, Oxford University and Adjunct Professor of Economics, London Business School. Dr Linda Yueh CBE is Fellow in Economics, St Edmund Hall, Oxford University and Adjunct Professor of Economics, London Business School. Her latest book is The Great Crashes: Lessons from Global Crashes and How to Prevent Them, selected as the Best New Economics Books by the Financial Times. Her previous book, The Great Economists: How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today, was The Times’s Best Business Books of the Year, and Newsweek magazine’s Best Books of the Year. Filippo Gaddo Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal Filippo Gaddo is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal Infrastructure & Capital Projects in London. He leads A&M’s UK Economics practice, and his primary areas of focus are economic policy and strategy, energy policy, market and regulatory due diligence, independent reviews, infrastructure advisory, and capital project strategy. Filippo has more than 20 years of experience with governmental entities and major consulting firms, providing extensive economic and energy industry insights. He was previously a Managing Director at Macro Advisory Partners and Chief Economist and Transaction Advisory Leader at Arup. Filippo started his career in the UK Civil Service, where he spent seven years as senior economist in the energy policy team. Silvia Andreoletti Head of Communications, Adam Smith Institute Silvia Andreoletti is Head of Communications at the Adam Smith Institute. Before joining the ASI, Silvia was a finance reporter covering trade and commodities markets. She graduated from New College, Oxford, with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.