Join us for an evening in the spirit of Václav Havel, reflecting on the enduring relevance of his ideas for our contemporary world.

Vaclav Havel Center and Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York present the
Annual Václav Havel Lecture 2026:

Václav Havel’s thoughts are an inspiration for today, with economist and philosopher Tomáš Sedláček

This event is presented as part of the Havel 90 initiative, marking the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel’s birth — a nationwide effort to celebrate his legacy and its continued impact across culture, politics, and civil society.

The evening will feature:

• Opening remarks by Andrew Schapiro, Chair of the Vaclav Havel Center, and Karel Smékal, Consul General of the Czech Republic in New York
• Keynote remarks by Tomáš Sedláček, Director of Vaclav Havel Library in Prague
• Moderated conversation with Jaroslav Borovička, Associate Professor of Economics at New York University)
• Audience Q&A
• Glass of Wine

Registration required.

Presented in collaboration with:

Václav Havel Library (Prague), the Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association (BBLA), and Czexpats in Science

About the Speakers

Tomáš Sedláček

Tomáš Sedláček, PhD. (1977) became famous as the author of Economics of Good and Evil: The Quest for Economic Meaning from Gilgamesh to Wall Street (Oxford University Press, 2011). Taking a philosophical approach to economics, the book has been translated into 22 languages, has become a bestseller in many countries, and has earned numerous international awards. In the years 2001–2003, he served as an economic advisor in the office of President Václav Havel. From 2003 to 2006, he was an advisor to the Czech minister of finance and deputy prime minister. He also became a founding member of the Czech government’s National Economic Council.

For 16 years, he was the chief macroeconomic strategist of Československá obchodní banka. Together with Milan Kundera, he was the only living Czech included among GDI’s Top 100 Thought Leaders. He has been a member of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he also lectured, and served on the advisory team of the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. He has drawn on these experiences in his lecturing activities at home and abroad, including cooperation with prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Georgetown. He is also a regular commentator on social, political, and economic events.

Jaroslav Borovička

Jaroslav Borovička is an Associate Professor of Economics at New York University. After finishing his undergraduate and graduate studies at the Prague University of Economics and Business, the Czech Technical University in Prague, and CERGE-EI, Charles University, he completed his doctoral degree at the University of Chicago in 2012. His research work and teaching span macroeconomics and asset pricing theory, particularly focusing on how complex uncertainty and the formation of subjective beliefs affect individual decision-making and market outcomes. He previously worked in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and held associate editor positions at multiple journals, including Journal of Monetary Economics and Review of Financial Studies. He is a member of the Executive and Supervisory Committee and of the Scientific Council at CERGE-EI.

Time: 6:30 pm EST

Free!

Registration