Public Lecture: Many Ladders, Many Futures: Rethinking Opportunity in a Changing World

Opportunity is not an abstract ideal but a set of structured pathways—ladders that determine which futures are truly accessible to young people. For many, these ladders are too few or too weak, leaving vast potential untapped. How can societies progress when millions operate far below their capabilities? This lecture explores how to bridge the gap between capacity and opportunity, drawing on over a decade of global research. Professor Krishna discusses how countries have successfully built strong ladders of opportunity while achieving excellence, offering insights into how development can expand real possibilities for all.

About the speaker
Anirudh Krishna is an internationally renowned scholar on poverty, inequality, and social mobility, and their impact on communities worldwide. He is the Edgar T. Thompson Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Duke University, where he has taught for 25 years. He earned his PhD in Government from Cornell University (2000) and master’s in economics from Delhi University (1980) and previously served 14 years in the Indian Administrative Service, leading rural and urban development programmes.

He has received several global honours, including an Honorary Doctorate from Uppsala University (2011), the Olaf Palme Visiting Professorship (2007), and the Dudley Seers Memorial Prize (2005, 2013). He has advised the World Bank, the United Nations, and multiple governments and NGOs.

His recent work on ladders of opportunity and social mobility, featured in his TED Talk, builds on three decades of research across Asia, Africa, and the US. Krishna has authored nine books and nearly 90 publications, including One Illness Away and The Broken Ladder, which won the A.K. Coomaraswamy Award.