Elizabeth Larson, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin, Former Senator Phil Gramm, and Andrew Reeves at Triumph of Economic Freedom event.

Melanie Fontes Rainer, Sandro Galea, Timothy McBride, and Elizabeth Larson at Healthcare at a Crossroads event.

Award-winning journalist and Pulitzer Center Grantee Simón Ríos speaks on immigration challenges under the second Trump Administration.

Professor Krister Knapp speaks at Rapid Response event on the unfolding situation in Iran.

Aaron Hedlund, Chief Economist at the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House, speaking on the current state of the economy.

About the Center

The Weidenbaum Center is a research institute at Washington University in St. Louis that supports social scientific research in the fields of public policy, economics, political science, and sociology. The Center funds faculty research, provides administrative support for research activities, and sponsors a wide range of public affairs programs. In doing so, the Center serves as a bridge between scholars, policymakers, and the general public. Through unbiased empirical research and events, the Center addresses many of the pressing public policy issues facing America and the world today.

Spring 2026 Events Flyer 

Learn more about the Weidenbaum Center 

The Weidenbaum Center is located on the Washington University Danforth Campus in Seigle Hall, Suite 170. Click here for campus map & closest parking 

 

2026 Annual Reception

Please join us on May 1 for our Annual Reception honoring Steven Fazzari!

 A special presentation of the Weidenbaum Center Award for Excellence will take place at 6:00 p.m., honoring Steven Fazzari, Bert A. and Jeanette L. Lynch Distinguished Professor of Economics, Professor of Sociology, and former Weidenbaum Center Director. We are delighted to celebrate Steve’s extraordinary contributions to the Weidenbaum Center and Washington University, honoring his lasting legacy as a scholar, teacher, and public intellectual, and to extend our very best wishes as he enters a well-deserved retirement.

More info here!

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2026 Weidenbaum Center Annual Reception

in-person only

Please join us for an evening of conversation and connection with Weidenbaum Center friends and colleagues. A special presentation of the Weidenbaum Center Award for Excellence will take place at 6:00 p.m., honoring Steven Fazzari, Bert A. and Jeanette L. Lynch Distinguished Professor of Economics, Professor of Sociology, and former Weidenbaum Center Director.

8th Annual Women's Luncheon and Public Policy Event

90 women participated in this annual event, now in it's 8th year. The brainchild of event organizer Molly Cline, the event is a Weidenbaum Center tradition that connects women, ideas, and policy. Speakers this year were Professor of Political Science Clarissa Hayward who spoke on how shared values and different perspectives reshape politics, and Professor of Sociology Adia Wingfield who shared her research on how workplace dynamics maintain racial equality.

Governing Past Gridlock: Why Fiscal Responsibility Still Matters

Dr. Carolyn Bourdeaux, Executive Director of The Concord Coalition and former U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 7th Congressional District, offers a candid assessment of the fiscal and political challenges confronting the nation. She outlines ideas for how we can move beyond stalemate to restore stability, political trust, and long-term prosperity and explores what it will take to rebuild cooperation and strengthen America’s fiscal future. The event was cosponsored by Washington University's Olin Business School.

The Past, Present, and Future of the Federal Reserve

A conversation with Alberto Musalem, the current President & CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and two past Presidents of the St. Louis Fed, James Bullard and Thomas Melzer. They explore the evolving role of the Federal Reserve in the U.S. economy. Moderated by Karen Branding, President & CEO of the Regional Business Council, with opening remarks by Andrew Martin, Chancellor of Washington University. The event was opened by Elizabeth Larson, Weidenbaum Center Associate Director of Research & Administration, with introductions and closing remarks by Weidenbaum Center Director Andrew Reeves.

I greatly appreciate the Weidenbaum Center, a vibrant and well-resourced intellectual space for social scientists at WashU, for the Graduate Fellowship and for the opportunity to engage with its many events, workshops, and networks. The Graduate Fellowship provides me with one year of stipend coverage, a roster of peer Fellows with ambitious research, and a roll-over research budget for my Dissertation, the generosity of which is unparalleled. I am currently using the resources and support of the Center to build my academic agenda, centered on applying computational methods to ask theoretically rich questions about the criminal-legal system, social control, and race relations. Research does not have to be an isolating endeavor, and the Weidenbaum Center exemplifies how a community of scholars can uplift itself in tremendous ways.

― Khoi Ngo Weidenbaum Center Graduate Fellow and third-year PhD student in Sociology. His current research project examines systematic inconsistencies in police data about stopped motorists’ races and dissects the epistemological grounds of administrative data.

Past event videos

Want to see videos of our past events? Check out our YouTube page at the link below.

Past event videos