Hay Festival Cartagena 2023

In the second decade of the 21st century, Colombia showed remarkable results in the fight against poverty. Over five million Colombians lifted themselves out of poverty, and the inequality gap decreased. Juan Manuel Santos, in his book La batalla contra la pobreza, emphasizes the importance of Colombia's pioneering adoption of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). This approach provides lessons for other nations, academics, and decision-makers. In conversation with Michael Stott.

According to Professor Mariana Mazzucato (United States/Italy) and Rosie Collington (UK), the consulting industry has managed to install itself at the very hearts of power in our economies and governments, with an extremely problematic impact on political responsibilities and public innovation. In this conversation with the economist Carolina Soto, Mazzucato will talk about her and Collington's joint book, The Big Con, in which the two authors discredit the myth that consultancy firms always add value to the economy, and defend investment in, and the collective intelligence of, organisations. They will also talk about the economic and social situation of Latin America.

The Spanish edition of The Big Con, entitled El gran engaño, will be published by Taurus and available to purchase from 25 January at the Hay Festival (and from 30 January throughout Colombia).

Mariana Mazzucato is a Professor at University College London (UCL), and Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. Her highly acclaimed books include The Entrepreneurial State, The Value of Everything, Mission Economy, and The Big Con.

Simultaneous translation from English to Spanish available