UCLA’s Robert Fairlie to Deliver Mescon Leadership Lecture

ATLANTA — Robert Fairlie, a Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), will present findings from his new book, “The Promise and Peril of Entrepreneurship” (MIT Press), at the 2025 Michael and Enid Mescon Leadership Lecture April 1 at Georgia State University.

The lecture will be at 10:30 a.m. on the ninth floor of 55 Park Place, Atlanta, at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.

“We are very pleased to present this lecture by Dr. Fairlie on the important and timely topic of the role of entrepreneurship and business formation on job creation and urban development,” said Professor Cathy Yang Liu. She holds the Michael and Enid Mescon Distinguished Chair in Entrepreneurship and is chair of the Department of Public Management and Policy.

The chair and lecture series memorialize the legacy of Regents’ Professor Michael Mescon, known as the “father of small business management,” and honor his beloved wife Enid, a longtime supporter of the college. The annual lecture brings leading scholars to discuss critical issues in entrepreneurship and economic development.

Fairlie, who chairs UCLA’s Department of Public Policy in the Luskin School of Public Affairs, brings extensive expertise in entrepreneurship, education and inequality research. Through his work and research, Fairlie challenges conventional wisdom about job creation and survival rates among U.S. startups, examining how government programs impact business formation and growth.

A member of the National Bureau of Economic Research, Fairlie has testified before the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and Department of Treasury. His research has also received funding from the National Science Foundation, National Academies and Russell Sage Foundation.

“Dr. Fairlie is an internationally recognized scholar in this area whose work also has significant policy impact. This lecture will bring together researchers and practitioners to engage in conversations and further the legacy of Michael Mescon,” Liu said.

Click here for more information on the Michael and Enid Mescon lecture series.

— By AYSPS Graduate Student Assistant Ayomidotun Olugbenle (M.A. in Communication)