Over the past two centuries, humanity has experienced unprecedented progress. Extreme poverty has declined, life expectancy has doubled, illiteracy has declined. While we as a species are becoming more prosperous, more educated, healthier, and more peaceful, it is useful to remind ourselves of the underlying cause of this progress: innovation. Human innovation―whether it be new ideas, inventions, or systems―is the primary way people create wealth and escape poverty.

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Young Voices invites you to join an online forum event with a Young Voices alumnus, Alexander Hammond, to discuss his latest book: Heroes of Progress. Hammond will sit down with our Executive Director, Casey Given, to answer questions on the unsung heroes of his book and how their tenacity for human innovation have made transformational contributions to human history.

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About the Author: Alexander C. R. Hammond is the founder of the Initiative for African Trade and Prosperity, a free trade fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), and a senior fellow at African Liberty. His work focuses on the history of economic growth and innovation, African development, and global well-being. He was formerly a policy analyst at the IEA and a researcher in the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity. Alexander's popular publications have been translated into more than a dozen languages and appeared in major newspapers across Europe, North America, and Africa. He received a BA with combined honors in history and politics from the University of Exeter and a master's degree by research in political economy from the University of Buckingham. Alexander currently resides in Switzerland.

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