Robert Herjavec
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Dani Rodrik
Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy, Harvard Kennedy School | Author, Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World | Past IEA President
Dani Rodrik is one of the world's most influential economists on globalization, trade, and industrial policy. Ford Foundation Professor at Harvard Kennedy School, he has shaped how policymakers think about growth, inequality, and development. His book Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World proposes a new economics for the middle class and global poor. Audiences leave with sharper frameworks for the tensions between markets, democracy, and prosperity.
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Dani Rodrik biography
Dani Rodrik is Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and one of the most consequential economists working on globalization, trade policy, and economic development. Born in Istanbul and educated at Harvard and Princeton, he has spent decades challenging both the orthodoxies of hyperglobalization and the easy answers of economic nationalism, insisting instead on evidence-based, context-sensitive policy. Economics speaker Dani Rodrik is best known for identifying what he called the “trilemma” of the global economy: the impossibility of simultaneously maintaining deep economic integration, national sovereignty, and democratic governance.
His early work on institutions and growth helped establish that the rules shaping markets matter as much as the markets themselves. His 2011 book The Globalization Paradox laid out a rigorous case for why open-ended trade liberalization often undermines the democratic bargains that make market economies function, and why countries need policy space to pursue their own development strategies. Straight Talk on Trade extended that argument to the populist backlash era, offering a sober diagnosis of how mainstream economics had failed to grapple with the distributional costs of openness.
Rodrik has advised governments and international institutions across the globe, serves on the South African President’s Economic Advisory Council, and sits on the UN High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs. He is a past president of the International Economic Association and co-director of Economics for Inclusive Prosperity (EfIP). His honors include the inaugural Albert O. Hirschman Prize from the Social Science Research Council and the Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences.
Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World
His 2025 book Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World: A New Economics for the Middle Class, the Global Poor, and Our Climate (Princeton University Press) sets out a new framework for economic policy that takes seriously the needs of those left behind by decades of globalization and technological change, while addressing the climate transition. It is a rigorous but accessible intervention in one of the defining policy debates of our time.
As a speaker, Dani Rodrik brings rare intellectual clarity to the questions that matter most to senior audiences: how to build economies that are both competitive and inclusive, when industrial policy works and when it fails, how to think about trade in a fragmented geopolitical landscape, and what a credible path toward shared prosperity actually looks like. He translates frontier economic research into practical insight, challenging assumptions without losing the audience in abstraction. Policymakers, business leaders, and boards consistently value his ability to reframe complex tradeoffs in ways that inform better decisions.
Dani Rodrik Speaking Videos
Dani Rodrik - Why We Must Resist Economic Conventional Wisdom
Dani Rodrik - Why Should Liberal Democracies Exist?
Dani Rodrik Keynote Topics
The international trading system was designed for an era that no longer exists. In this keynote, Rodrik examines why the assumptions behind deep economic integration are increasingly at odds with political reality, and what a more honest approach to globalization would look like. Drawing on decades of research, he explains how countries can remain open to trade and investment while preserving the policy space needed to serve their own citizens.
Industrial policy has returned to the center of economic debate, from the U.S. CHIPS Act to European green subsidies. But governments have a patchy track record of picking winners. Rodrik cuts through the ideological noise, drawing on comparative evidence from East Asia, Latin America, and beyond to explain what distinguishes successful industrial strategy from costly failure, and what conditions leaders need to put in place.
Drawing directly from his 2025 book, Rodrik presents a new framework for thinking about growth, distribution, and the climate transition together. This is not a plea for redistribution after the fact, but a structural argument for how economies can be organized so that the gains from innovation and trade are genuinely shared, without sacrificing dynamism or fiscal sustainability.
The backlash against globalization did not come from nowhere. Rodrik traces how decades of mainstream economic advice systematically underestimated the costs of trade liberalization for workers and communities, and what that failure means for the credibility of expert institutions. He offers a clear-eyed account of where economic anxiety comes from and what honest policy responses look like.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Dani Rodrik
Why Dani Rodrik?
Booking Dani Rodrik means bringing one of the world's most rigorous and genuinely independent economic minds to your event. Unlike many economists who operate within a single ideological lane, Rodrik has spent his career challenging both free-market orthodoxy and protectionist reflexes, making him unusually credible across political and business audiences. As Ford Foundation Professor at Harvard Kennedy School, past president of the International Economic Association, and author of multiple landmark books, he offers the kind of grounded, evidence-based perspective that senior audiences trust. His talks leave decision-makers with frameworks they can actually use, not just memorable quotes. Aurum Speakers Bureau can provide full details on availability and booking.
What is Dani Rodrik's trilemma of the global economy?
Rodrik's "political trilemma of the world economy," developed in his academic work and popularized in The Globalization Paradox, argues that deep economic integration, national sovereignty, and democratic governance cannot all be achieved simultaneously. A country can have any two of the three, but not all three at once. To have deep globalization and democracy, you must surrender significant national policy autonomy to international rules. To have globalization and national sovereignty, you sacrifice democratic accountability. The trilemma has proven highly influential, cited by economists and policymakers across the political spectrum as a framework for understanding the limits of the postwar global order.
What books has Dani Rodrik written?
Rodrik is the author of several major works in economics. The Globalization Paradox (2011) makes the case for a more managed approach to international trade. Straight Talk on Trade (2017) examines the political economy of globalization and its discontents. Economics Rules (2015) is a defense and critique of economic methodology. One Economics, Many Recipes (2007) argues that good economic policy must be context-specific rather than one-size-fits-all. His most recent book is Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World: A New Economics for the Middle Class, the Global Poor, and Our Climate (Princeton University Press, 2025).
What topics does economics speaker Dani Rodrik cover?
Dani Rodrik speaks on globalization and trade policy, industrial strategy and economic development, the political economy of inequality, the future of work in developing and advanced economies, and the relationship between democracy and markets. His talks are particularly valued by senior audiences navigating questions of economic strategy in an era of geopolitical fragmentation and distributional pressure. He is well-suited to conferences focused on economics, public policy, leadership, and global affairs. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to discuss availability and how to tailor his presentation to your event.
How to book Dani Rodrik as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Dani Rodrik as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Dani Rodrik's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Dani Rodrik or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Dani Rodrik speaking fee?
Dani Rodrik speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Dani Rodrik to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Dani Rodrik.
How can I contact Dani Rodrik?
We only work with Dani Rodrik on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Dani Rodrik and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Dani Rodrik speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Dani Rodrik for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Dani Rodrik for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Dani Rodrik is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Dani Rodrik for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
