The November general election will seat a Congress facing critical economic challenges. But analysts disagree on the role of government in the economy, their arguments revolving around two questions: How much does the government really know about people’s wants and needs? And is there a clear market failure that policy can address?

A back-and-forth expression of conflicting views spills into this event featuring Stephanie Kelton, chair of the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Department of Economics, and University of Missouri economics professor Joseph Haslag, who will discuss the government’s proper role in the economy and take audience members’ written questions. Mike Shanin, who leads the weekly roundtable of conservatives and liberals on KCPT-TV’s Ruckus, will moderate.