Lectures on Tap - "The Social Order of the Underworld"

Join us for an engaging evening where professors, experts, and storytellers bring their thought-provoking lectures to your favorite bar in Flatiron, Manhattan!

Hosted by the Lectures on Tap team.

🗓️ Date: September 22nd, 2025

🕡 Time: 6:30 PM

📍 Location: Flatiron, Manhattan (exact address provided in confirmation email)

📚 Lecture: “The Social Order of the Underworld”

🎤 Speaker: Professor David Skarbek

When many people think of Pr*son gangs, visions of chaotic bands of violent thugs often come to mind. However, as Professor David Skarbek argues, these gangs can be understood as sophisticated organizations that cultivate order among outlaws. They create alternative governance institutions to facilitate illegal activity, regulating the social and economic life of the Pr*son.

Join us for a fascinating lecture that delves into the complex and often surprising world of Pr*son life and the societal structures that arise within it. Professor Skarbek will share insights from his extensive research on the informal institutions that govern life in prisons, showcasing how these gangs function as structured organizations rather than mere chaos.

As the Michael Targoff Professor of Political Economy at Brown University, David Skarbek's work has been featured in numerous prestigious journals and media outlets, including the Atlantic, BBC, and the Economist.

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the realities of life among the society of captives!

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.

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