Distinguished Scholar will discuss divergent fortunes of rust belt towns

The 2015 College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Scholar is Dr. Sean Safford, director of the Master of Public Affairs Program and associate professor of economic sociology at Sciences Po in Paris, France.

Safford will present "Why the Garden Club Couldn't Save Youngstown: Social Capital and the Transformation of the Rust Belt" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in Kleymeyer Hall in the lower level of the Liberal Arts Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Safford's research on social, economic and technological change, particularly in mature industrial economies, has been influential in policy circles in the United States and in Europe. He received his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was a lead researcher with the MIT Local Innovation Systems Project which examined the role of universities in economic development in the U.S. and several countries around the world.

In his lecture, Safford will compare the divergent fortunes of the "rust belt" towns of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Youngstown, Ohio. Allentown is on the high road of economic change while Youngstown is in a race to the bottom. Safford has found that the cities' economic divergence can be traced to differences in social capital. 

A reception will be held after the lecture in the Lawrence Library, also located in the lower level of the Liberal Arts Center.        

The 2015 College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Scholar Lecture is hosted by the Political Science and Public Administration Department and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program. For more information, contact Dr. Matthew Hanka, assistant professor of political science and director of the MPA Program, at mjhanka@usi.edu or 812-461-5204.