An Economic Framework for Effective Policymaking
2007 Washington Economic Policy Conference
Pre-Conference Event
Sunday, March 11, 2007
5:30-6:30 PM Welcome Reception
Entertainment provided by NABE jazz musicians
Sponsored by AUBER and NABE
Conference Events
Monday, March 12, 2007
8:00-8:55 AM The Economic Issues and Effective Policymaking
Welcome
Carl Tannenbaum, NABE President and Chief Economist, LaSalle Bank/ABN AMRO N.A.
Paul Polzin, AUBER President and Professor, University of Montana
Learn about the key economic and political issues that may confront the nation over the next two years.
John Harwood, Columnist, The Wall Street Journal , and Chief Washington Correspondent, CNBC, moderator
Thomas D. Gallagher, Senior Managing Director, ISI Group, Inc.
Gregory R. Valliere, Chief Strategist, Stanford Washington Research Group
9:05-9:50 AM A View from Congress
David Wyss, Chief Economist, Standard & Poor’s, moderator
John Spratt, Chairman, House Budget Committee
10:00-10:55 AM Fiscal Policy: What Does the Future Hold?
Stuart Hoffman, Chief Economist, PNC Financial Services Group, moderator
Diane Lim Rogers, Chief Economist, House Budget Committee
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Economic Policy Chair, John McCain 2008, The Exploratory Committee
11:05 AM-12:20 PM Concurrent Educational Sessions A
Alternative Fiscal Policy
Hear about two different, but not necessarily opposing, views on alternatives to the current path of fiscal policy.
Jacob Schlesinger, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, moderator
Stuart M. Butler, Vice President, Domestic and Economic Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation
Joseph Minarik, Director of Research, Committee for Economic Development
Energy Policy
Is the era of cheap oil (roughly defined as the historic norm of mid-$20 per barrel oil after adjusting for inflation) now over? The panel will discuss this question and comment on the impact that high oil prices have on the economy as a whole.
Jerry Taylor, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute, moderator
Kevin Lindemer, Executive Managing Director-Energy, Global Insight
Michael C. Lynch, President, Strategic Energy & Economic Research, Inc.
Sponsor: TTX Company
U.S. Policy and the Changing Global Landscape
Rapid changes in the world economy mean that our basic policies across a wide spectrum of areas--such as education, income security, and health care--need to be rethought if the U.S. will continue to keep its lead role. Does the broad agenda of change proposed by the Hamilton Project group meet these needs, or would other approaches work better?
Charles Steindel, Senior Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, moderator
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Economic Policy Chair, John McCain 2008, The Exploratory Committee
Jeffrey R. Kling, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Economic Studies, Brookings Institution
12:20-1:50 PM Luncheon
Keynote speaker
Randall S. Kroszner, Governor, Federal Reserve Board
Sponsored by Bloomberg
2:00-3:15 PM Concurrent Educational Sessions B
Democratic Tax Policy: Increases, Cuts or Major Reform?
Chris Edwards, Cato Institute, moderator
William Gale, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Kevin A. Hassett, Director, Economic Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
Alternative Monetary Policy
Greg Ip, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, moderator
Ethan Harris, Chief Economist, Lehman Brothers
Robert T. McGee, Chief Economist, United States Trust Company
Biofuels: A Self-Sustaining Alternative?
Conference attendees will learn about the overall U.S. market for energy and the major issues, USDA's role in promoting production and use of biofuels, and the role of ethanol as a biofuel.
William Janis, Agricultural Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, moderator
Samantha M. Slater, Director, Congressional and Regulatory Affairs, Renewable Fuels Association
Howard Gruenspecht, Deputy Administrator, Energy Information Administration
William F. Hagy III , Rural Development Deputy Administrator, Business Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Labor Market Dynamics
The panelists, both authors of recent books on the labor market, will discuss globalization and minimum wage, among other issues.
Catherine Mann, Professor of Economics, Brandeis University, and Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute of International Economics, moderator
Jared Bernstein, Director of Living Standards Program, Economic Policy Institute
Steven J. Davis, Visiting Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
3:30-4:45 PM Concurrent Educational Sessions C
Options for Medicaid Reform—Enhancements or Radical Change?
The continued surge in Medicaid costs is straining state budgets and has made the program one of the key unfunded liabilities of the Federal government. Nonetheless, the quality of the care provided under the program is often less than desirable. What’s needed?
Robert Graboyes, Visiting Lecturer, University of Richmond, moderator
Devon Herrick, Chair, NABE Health Economics Roundtable, and Senior Fellow, National Center for Policy Analysis
Judith Solomon, Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Sponsored by the NABE Health Economics Roundtable
Alternative Mortgage Products
This session addresses some important policy questions related to alternative mortgage products and possible answers.
Carl R. Tannenbaum, Chief Economist, LaSalle Bank, and President, NABE, moderator
Dean Baker, Co-Director, Center for Economic Policy and Research
Douglas G. Duncan, Chief Economist, Mortgage Bankers Association of America
Anthony M. Yezer, Professor of Economics, The George Washington University
The Role of Modeling and Forecasting in Economic Policy Development
Knowing both the “baseline” forecast and the likely effects of policy changes on the economic landscape are key inputs to the formulation of both monetary and fiscal policy. How are these inputs developed and how do they influence policy?
Donald Marron, Congressional Budget Office, moderator
J. D. Foster, Associate Director for Economic Policy, Office of Management and Budget
Michael T. Kiley, Chief, Macroeconomic and Quantitative Studies Section, Federal Reserve Board
Economic Reform in Germany and Japan
Germany and Japan are critical members of the world economy. Both nations have faced dramatic changes in their economic situations and policy environments, both face the rise of new competitors, both have rapidly aging populations, and both have worked to reform their old policy structures. What has worked, what has not, and what remains to be done?
Catherine Mann, Professor of Economics, Brandeis University, and Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute of International Economics, moderator
Adam Posen, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Jun Kurihara, Fellow, Center for Business and Government, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Jorg W. Decressin, Division Chief, European Policies Division, European Department, International Monetary Fund
5:00-6:00 PM The Competitiveness of European Financial Markets
Timo Tyrväinen, Chief Economist, Aktia Savings Bank, moderator
Eva Srejber, First Deputy Governor, The Riksbank
Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank
Sponsored by NabeEurope
6:45-8:00 PM Reception
Embassy of Sweden
2900 K Street NW, at the corner of 30th and K Streets
Bus transportation will be provided from the hotel to the reception. Buses will depart between 6:15 and 6:30 PM from the hotel entrance. Buses will leave the Embassy at 8:15 PM and return to the hotel.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
8:00-9:30 AM Breakfast
John Silvia, Chief Economist, Wachovia Bank, moderator
Katherine Baicker, Member, Council of Economic Advisers
Sponsored by Wachovia Bank
9:45-10:30 AM Prospects for Global Trade Talks and Trade Policy in the New Congress
Rosemary Marcuss, Deputy Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis, moderator
Jeffrey Schott, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
10:30-11:15 AM The Administration’s Economic Policy
Chris Varvares, President, Macroeconomic Advisers, moderator
Lawrence B. Lindsey, President and CEO, The Lindsey Group
11:25-12:40 PM Concurrent Educational Sessions D
Saving by Americans: Putting the Macro and Micro Views in Focus
Maurine Haver, Chair, NABE Statistics Committee, moderator
Marshall Reinsdorf, Economist, Bureau of Economic Analysis
Karen Dynan, Chief, Housing and Real Estate Finance Section, Federal Reserve Board
Charles Steindel, Senior Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Global Competition and Sarbanes-Oxley
This session addresses the question whether Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) has tipped the scales too far and will result in a competitive disadvantage for U.S. firms and U.S. financial markets, or alternatively, if watering down the SOX reforms will re-open the way for wrongdoing for U.S. corporate executives.
Richard J. DeKaser, Chief Economist, National City Corporation, moderator
Steve Harris, Senior Vice President and Special Counsel, Apco Worldwide
Alex Pollock, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
Mark W. Seetin, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, American Stock Exchange
Lynn E. Turner, Managing Director of Research, Glass Lewis & Co.
Sponsor: NABE Financial Roundtable
U.S. Regional Outlook: Are We in for a Housing ARM-ageddon?
Will adjustable rate mortgages cause the housing apocalypse? – a regional economic outlook.
Sean Snaith, Director, Institute for Economic Competitiveness, University of Central Florida, moderator
Brian A. Bethune, Director, Financial Economics, Global Insight
James Diffley, Director, U.S. Regional Service, Global Insight
Keith Schwer, Director, Center for Business and Economic Research, University of Nevada at Las Vegas
Sponsor: AUBER
12:40-2:10 PM Luncheon
A View from the SEC
Carl Tannenbaum, Chief Economist, LaSalle Bank/ABN AMRO N.A. moderator
Paul Atkins, Commissioner, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Sponsor (in part): LaSalle Bank/ABN AMRO N.A.
2:30-3:30 PM Two Views on Fiscal Policy from Hands-on Practitioners
Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, Chief Economist, Ford Motor Company, moderator
Donald B. Marron, Congressional Budget Office
Phillip L. Swagel, Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, U.S. Treasury Department
3:30-4:30 PM The Lame Duck President Meets the Democratic Congress: Politics and Policy in 2007 and 2008
Diane Swonk, Chief Economist, Mesirow Financial, moderator
Norm Ornstein, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
