Thursday, October 22, 2026
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EDT
The Georgetown Americas Institute is pleased to host a book talk featuring Pablo A. Peña, author of Human Capital for Humans: An Accessible Introduction to the Economic Science of People (2025). The book offers an accessible introduction to human capital theory and its applications to everyday life. Peña explores how investments in knowledge, skills, health, and other forms of human capital shape economic outcomes and individual well-being. The discussion will examine applications of human capital theory to topics including parenting, marriage, aging, health, and household labor, illustrating how economic thinking can help explain decisions and outcomes that extend far beyond traditional markets.
Featuring
Pablo A. Peña is associate instructional professor in the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics at the University of Chicago. He has worked as consultant for business and non-profit organizations and is a former chief economist of Mexico’s National Banking and Securities Commission.
Alejandro Werner is the founding director of the Georgetown Americas Institute and a non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute. He recently completed nearly nine years as director of the Western Hemisphere Department at the International Monetary Fund. Prior to that, he served as undersecretary of finance and public credit in Mexico's Finance Ministry and held several positions there and at the Central Bank. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from MIT and a B.A. in economics from ITAM.