The Princeton–African School of Economics Research Hub at Princeton University is organizing a two-day conference on the evolving role of agency in institutional and human capital development. The conference brings together scholars and practitioners across economics, political science, psychology, philosophy, and the humanities to examine how agency is conceptualized, measured, mobilized, and embedded within institutions. The conference will draw upon diverse theoretical, empirical, and philosophical perspectives as a starting point for a broader interdisciplinary conversation. Rather than working from a single definition of agency, we are interested in examining where disciplinary approaches converge and diverge; how agency can be observed and measured empirically; the institutional, social, and technological conditions that enable or constrain it; and how agency might inform the design of governance and development policy.

Methodological Focus & Themes

The conference will bring together a pre-eminent group of researchers and practitioners to highlight recent developments and open challenges. Panel discussions and keynote sessions will be organized around the following major themes:

• What is Agency?
• Agency in Political Economy and Governance
• Collective Agency & Social Movements
• Agency and Development Policy
• Measuring Agency
• Organizing Agency 
• Agency as Technological Capacity
• New Directions for Development Research & Policy