We were delighted to host the WHS Economics Summer Conference 2026 this week (Tuesday 9 June), an event organised by Y12 students Zoë and Leila, who head up the WHS Economics Society. The conference took place online and included students from WHS and a number of other schools who were joined by three world-leading academics:
- Alan Manning, Professor at LSE – AI and the Job Market
- Valentina Bosetti, Professor at Bocconi University – Sustainability and Energy Transitions
- Ethan Ilzetzki, Professor at LSE – The Financial Side of International Economics
The talks were followed by a live Q&A afterwards and provided a valuable opportunity to discuss issues actually shaping the global economy.
Read an account below of what is was like to deliver this event from the Y12 students themselves:
With the current war, the growing use of AI, and climate change affecting our planet, it felt crucial to educate ourselves on these topics from an economics perspective. With this in mind, as WHS heads of Economics Society we decided to host and organise an online Economics Conference, inviting professors from top universities to discuss these issues. Since university applications are imminent, we also thought that inviting university professors would give students a taste of university-style lectures.
We started planning at the start of January, spending most of our time finding speakers who could cover topics that we and members of the society would find interesting. Alongside this, we chose which schools to invite, including partnership schools and other GDST schools. Through this process we learned about the challenges of event planning, particularly in coordinating correspondence between teachers and gathering information on potential attendees through forms and emails. By mid-April, after a great deal of emailing and confirming timings, we had secured three speakers. We also spent time deciding on the format of the conference, something we had not expected to be so complicated: how many speakers to have, how long each would speak for, and what time they would join the meeting.
We both learned a great deal from this experience, including all the admin involved in hosting external speakers. We hope this online conference will continue in future years and inspire more people to take an interest in economics.
Thank you to the speakers for their participation – read more below about them and what they said:
Dr Alan Manning (LSE)
Dr Manning opened the conference with a fascinating talk on AI and the job market. He challenged the common and polarising fear that AI will lead to widespread unemployment, showing that similar concerns have accompanied major technological advances throughout history. Using examples ranging from the invention of the stocking frame to the Industrial Revolution, he explained that while technological change can create short-term disruption for some workers, it also generates wider economic benefits. In particular, he highlighted how lower production costs lead to lower prices, increasing consumers’ purchasing power and creating demand for new goods, services, and jobs.
Dr Manning argued that the technology is likely to be transformative, but that there is very little reason to believe it will bring about the “end of work”. Instead, he encouraged students to embrace AI, develop the skills needed to use it effectively, and think critically about its outputs. His talk offered a balanced and thought-provoking perspective on one of the most important economic issues facing our generation, importantly emphasising that the only thing he knows for sure is that he does not know anything for sure. This is a valuable point to remember in our society when discussing such current topics, and as economists more generally, where extreme positions too easily become widespread.
Professor Valentina Bosetti (Professor of Climate Economics, Bocconi University)
Professor Bosetti followed with a fascinating presentation on the economics of climate change and sustainability. She explained how climate change represents a global externality, where the costs of carbon emissions are felt by society as a whole rather than by those producing them, making government intervention essential. The talk explored the main ways policymakers can respond, including reducing emissions through cleaner energy sources, removing carbon from the atmosphere, and adapting to the effects of warming that are already unavoidable. She also introduced students to key policy tools such as carbon taxes and emissions trading schemes, while highlighting the challenges of coordinating climate action on a global scale. By combining economic theory with real-world examples and current international developments, Professor Bosetti demonstrated how economics can help us understand and address one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. Her presentation gave students an important insight into the role that economists, and even individuals in society, can play in shaping a more sustainable future.
Dr Ethan Ilzetzki (Professor of International/Monetary Economics, LSE)
Dr Ilzetzki concluded the conference with a presentation on the history of the international monetary system and its relevance to today’s global economy. Tracing its evolution from the Gold Standard through the Bretton Woods system to the modern era of floating exchange rates, he explored how countries have attempted to balance monetary stability, economic growth, and government policy at the same time. The talk emphasised how changes in the international monetary system have shaped global trade and economic relationships between countries. Using historical examples, he demonstrated how major economic and political events have influenced the way the world manages currencies and international payments.
By linking historical developments to contemporary economic challenges, the presentation gave students a deeper understanding of the foundations of the global financial system, and offered valuable insight into the many complexities of international economics as we know it today.
