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UB’s Philosophy, Politics and Economics program to present diversity workshop

Illustration of a buffalo on the frontier.

The theme for this year's "Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the Frontier" workshop presented by UB's PPE program is “Institutional Diversity and Social Dynamism.”

By BERT GAMBINI

Published June 13, 2025

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Ryan Muldoon.
“We鈥檙e particularly interested in which mechanisms make diversity and disagreements helpful, and which contribute to harm. This allows us to investigate questions about the value of democratic civil society by thinking through how different institutions channel our beliefs and values into actions and outcomes. ”
Ryan Muldoon, professor of philosophy and director
Philosophy, Politics and Economics program

A group of scholars from the United States and Europe will be at the Richardson Complex in Buffalo June 17 and 18 for “Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the Frontier,” a workshop presented by UB’s Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) program.

This is the second annual , made possible in part by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, meant to advance the PPE field, disseminate UB research and foster new collaborations.

This year’s theme is “Institutional Diversity and Social Dynamism.”

“We’re particularly interested in which mechanisms make diversity and disagreements helpful, and which contribute to harm,” explains Ryan Muldoon, professor of philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences. “This allows us to investigate questions about the value of democratic civil society by thinking through how different institutions channel our beliefs and values into actions and outcomes.”

Muldoon says the theme can help explore and further develop an understanding for what makes open-access societies like the U.S. and other Western countries so successful.

“We think the answers are grounded in an understanding of the associational options brought about by the different kinds of institutional arrangements available to people,” says Muldoon, who serves as director of UB's PPE program, recognized in 2024 as a “Hidden Gem” by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. “How do we achieve an environment where a thousand flowers can bloom?”

PPE is a rapidly growing field that draws on the tools of each of its three foundational disciplines to integrate an innovative skill set that reflects and responds to new and existing challenges of an evolving world.

Oxford introduced the first program in the 1920s. But since the 1990s, universities in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America have launched new programs. And that growth continues, adding to the approximately 200 such programs already in place.

UB offers students the opportunity to pursue an undergraduate degree in PPE or a minor in the program as a complement to their studies.