Organised by Associate Professor of Economics Maija Halonen-Akatwijuka, the conference featured Nobel laureate Sir Oliver Hart from Harvard University as one of its distinguished attendees.  

Other notable participants hailed from institutions such as Columbia University, the Stockholm School of Economics, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and several top UK universities, including Oxford, the London School of Economics (LSE), Imperial College London and King's College London.  

Sir Oliver Hart remarked, 'The beginning of the conference was about relational contracting, which I've come to think is extremely important. That was mainly about the private sector and relational contracts within the private sector. In the last session, the panel was on relational contracts in the public sector, and I think there are some interesting differences when the government gets involved.'  

Professor Robert Gibbons from MIT remarked, 'Most days I wake up asking myself what an economist can do to help a set of people or entities collaborate better together.'  

The conference offered a range of sessions, including discussions on 'AI, Digital Business and Contracts,' 'Ownership and Specific Investment,' and 'Contracts and Relationships in the Public Sector.'  

'We hope to build a platform for people to engage in research into contracts that can speak to the real world,' said Maija Halonen-Akatwijuka.  

This event underscored the University of Bristol's School of Economics as a leading force, driving discussions on new developments in the field of contracts and economics.  

Hear from the attendees, watch the full video: