Trinity College defeats Harvard Visitors in Student Economic Review Debate

Posted on: 04 February 2008

The Trinity College Student Economic Review (SER) played host to Harvard’s finest for its annual debate on the 23 January last. Trinity took on Harvard for the first time debating the topical issue of ‘migration’. Speaking to a full audience, students Christopher Kissane, Josephine Curry and Séin Ó ‘Muineacháin secured victory for Trinity over the Harvard team. The event was chaired by US Ambassador to Ireland, Thomas C. Foley while Senator Shane Ross acted as Chief Adjudicator.

Trinity proposed the motion ‘That This House Believes That Mass Migration Is Beneficial For Labour Markets’ with Harvard in opposition. The issue of migration has become increasingly topical in the US presidential election and also in Europe, including Ireland, as a result of recent expansions in the EU and Ireland’s increasing migrant population.  Its effects on labour markets lie at the heart of the economics debate about migration.

Founded in 1987 the Student Economic Review is an undergraduate journal, published annually by the students of the college. The Review prides itself in the encouragement and promotion of undergraduate research within the field of economics and since it inception has featured many exceptional essays. For the past seven years the SER, in conjunction with the college’s Philosophical and Historical Societies, has run its annual debates against Oxford and Cambridge and last year travelled to the United States to take on Yale. The review debates are sponsored by Harry Hartford an economics alumni of the Trinity College.

The SER committee is chosen from the third-year economics undergraduates by the Economics Department. These students are responsible for all matters relevant to the Review; editing, production, finance, sponsorship, web-design and event organisation. Typically the committee holds a series of debates and workshops throughout the year, in addition to the Review itself. The work of the SER is presided over by Prof. John O’Hagan of the Economics department. The launch of the 2008 issue is due to take place on Tuesday, 22nd April.