Program - 2009 Washington Economic Policy Conference
Updated: February 26, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Pre-conference Events
5:00-6:30 PM
Welcome Reception
Entertainment provided by the NABE jazz musicians
6:30-9:00 PM
Networking Event
Piola
1550 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22209
703-528-1502
Sponsor: Get Connected and the National Economists Club
Monday, March 2, 2009
Conference
8:00-8:45 AM
A View from the Administration
The recent financial crisis has stemmed from a variety of different sources, including mismatches between incomes and housing prices, lending policies, a lack of understanding of the risks inherent in mortgage-backed securities, credit default swaps, and other securities, and so on. This session examines the sources of the crisis and discusses financial regulatory reforms which might minimize the risks of a recurrence of this type of crisis.
Jeffrey B. Liebman, Office of Management and Budget
9:00-9:45 AM
Housing Policy Solutions
Ken Simonson, Associated General Contractors of America, moderator
David Crowe, National Association of Home Builders
LaVaughn M. Henry, PMI Group, Inc.
Sponsor: Associated General Contractors of America
9:45-10:15 AM
Trade Policy in the Obama Administration
Jeffrey Schott, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Sponsor: CEIC Data
10:15-10:45 AM
Networking Break
Sponsor: Haver Analytics and Macroeconomic Advisers
Poster Session
Click here for more information.
Sponsors: The NABE Foundation and Get Connected
10:45-12:00 Noon
Concurrent Sessions I
A] The Euro and the ECB: Challenges in Times of Instability
A panel of international experts will address the reserve currency of the euro and the role of the European Central Bank in light of issues raised by the global financial crisis and the economic slowdown now (December 2008) evident in the European Union. What are the ECB’s track record and likely approach going forward?
Nigel Nagarajan, European Commission, moderator
Nariman Behravesh, IHS Global Insight
Carmen Reinhart, University of Maryland
Sponsor: NABE International Roundtable
B] Auto Industry in Transition
The severe recession includes a historic decline in vehicle sales in the U.S. and in other major markets. Both GM and Chrysler, along with their finance companies, have received government support -- and more may be on the way. A panel of experts will discuss the auto industry in transition, looking at where the automakers are headed and how they will change their relationships with their labor forces, customers, suppliers, and competitors.
Kathryn Kobe, MRT Chair, moderator
Kevin Hassett, American Enterprise Institute
Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, Ford Motor Company
Robert Scott, Economic Policy Institute
Sponsor: NABE Manufacturing Roundtable
C] Controlling Government Healthcare Costs or Expanding Coverage: Can We Do Both?
The Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office have labeled rising health care costs the government’s number one long-run fiscal problem based upon projected growth in Medicare and Medicaid expenditures. Yet the new Administration has pledged to commit significant additional government dollars toward reducing the number of uninsured. This session will examine these apparently conflicting goals within a severe recessionary economic environment.
Paul Hughes-Cromwick, HERT Chair, Altarum Institute, moderator
Henry Aaron, Brookings Institution
Robert Reischauer, Urban Institute
Diane Rowland, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Sponsor: Altarum Institute
12:00-1:30 PM Luncheon
A View from the Fed
Nariman Behravesh, IHS Global Insight, presiding
Jeffrey Lacker, President, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Sponsor: IHS Global Insight
1:45-2:45 PM
Economic Stabilization Policy
The U.S. economy is officially in a recession, and the question is: What policies can reduce the depth of the downturn and promote a recovery? The Federal Reserve Board has reduced the federal funds rate to a record low. Using other monetary policy tools,
instituting tax cuts, expanding infrastructure spending, and stimulating consumer
consumption will be among the options discussed by the panel.
Chris Varvares , NABE President/Macroeconomic Advisers, presiding
J. Bradford DeLong, University of California at Berkeley
Lawrence Lindsey, The Lindsey Group
2:45-3:15 PM
Networking Break
Poster Session
Click here for more information.
Sponsors: The NABE Foundation and Get Connected
3:15-4:30 PM
Concurrent Sessions II
A] State and Local Government Finances
State and local governments are at the mercy of the U.S. and world economy. Most state and local governments must balance budgets. What choices will they make? What is the role of the Federal government? Panelists will explore the answers to these questions among others.
Andrew Brod, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, moderator
Donald J. Boyd, Nelson J. Rockefeller Institute of Government
Michael Bird, National Conference of State Legislatures
Sponsor: AUBER
B] Transforming the Defense Industry
The U.S. defense industry has undergone significant changes over the past twenty years. This session will describe those changes and delve into the policy issues surrounding consolidation, the global defense environment and transatlantic cooperation, greater transparency, emergence of new global threats, and budget constraints.
Nayantara Hensel, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, moderator
Speakers:
Nayantara Hensel, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Kenneth A. Minihan, former Director, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Managing Director, Paladin Capital Group
Admiral John Terrence Blake, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget
C] Restoring Stability, Managing Crises: The Role of the International Financial Institutions
The financial crisis that has unfolded since August 2007 continues to challenge global policymakers. This session will focus on actions that the international financial institutions are taking to stabilize national economies, in particular emerging markets, and what, if any, reforms these institutions will see in the near future.
Morris Goldstein, Peterson Institute for International Economics,
moderator
Domenico Lombardi, President, The Oxford Institute for Economic Policy (Oxonia)
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, World Bank and former Finance Minister of Nigeria
Sponsor: NABE International Roundtable
4:45-5:45 PM
Tax Policy
What can tax policy contribute to restoring financial and economic stability?
The panel of tax experts representing different points-of-view will debate the issue.
Daniel Bean, introductions
William Strauss , Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, presiding
William Gale, Brookings Institution
Alan Viard, American Enterprise Institute
Sponsor: Corporate Planning Roundtable
6:30-8:00 PM
Reception
Federal Reserve Board
Discuss the events of the days with friends and colleagues in the atrium of the Eccles Building.
Sponsors: Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
7:45-9:15 AM
A View from the Council of Economic Advisers
Attend this traditional breakfast session and learn about the new Administration’s views on the economic outlook.
Diane Swonk, Mesirow Financial, presiding
Christina Romer, Chair, President’s Council of Economic Advisers
Sponsors: Mesirow Financial and Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC
9:30-10:30 AM
Financial Innovation and Leverage
Financial market innovation in recent years has expanded access to credit while introducing a host of new and complex financial instruments and practices. At the same time, the amount of debt held by institutions, consumers, and the government has increased, introducing additional risk. This session will discuss how current measures are addressing an orderly deleveraging process and regulation of financial markets, and what more is needed.
Richard Brown, FDIC, presiding
Charles Calomiris, Columbia University
Markus Brunnermeier, Princeton University
10:30-11:00 AM
Networking Break
11:00-12:15 PM
Concurrent Sessions III
A] Energy Independence
If policymakers weren’t dealing with the financial crisis, energy would be the number-one issue. With the decline in oil prices, where is the momentum to move forward on energy independence and climate change initiatives? This session will evaluate recent developments geared toward increasing efficiency and decreasing reliance on energy imports.
Laurel Graefe, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, moderator
Sara Banaszak, Senior Economist, API
Guy F. Caruso, former EIA Administrator
David Dismukes, Center for Energy Studies, Louisiana State University
Sponsor: AUBER and the NABE Regional-Utility Roundtable
B] Monetary Policy and the New Fed Tools
The Fed has been creative in increasing liquidity in the financial sector. What instruments have worked best? What are the lessons learned?
Charles Steindel, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, moderator
Peter Hooper, Deutsche Bank
Brian Sack, Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC
Spence Hilton, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Sponsor: NABE Financial Roundtable
C] Education, Technology, and the Labor Force
What workforce skills and investments are needed in a knowledge-based economy to be competitive in a global economy? Is the solution for the federal government to get involved, as well as state and local governments? This session will feature the unique insight and uncommon vision of leading global figures in higher education and the high-tech industry.
Jack Aernecke, Capitol Region Television Reporter, moderator
Scottie Ginn, IBM Systems and Technology Group
Carl Hayden, Chair, Board of Trustees, State University of New York
Sponsor: NABE Technology Roundtable
12:30-2:00 PM
Luncheon
Legislative Priorities
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President, DHE Consulting, LLC and formerly Director of Domestic and Economic Policy for the John McCain presidential campaign
2:15-3:30 PM
Data Visualization Workshop
Visual analytics focuses on analytical reasoning facilitated by interactive visual interfaces. People use visual analytics tools and techniques to synthesize information and derive insight from massive, dynamic, ambiguous, and often-conflicting data. This skills workshop session will cover the integration of interactive visualization with analysis techniques to answer questions related to business and economic analysis.
Billy Leung, Regional Economic Models, Inc.
(REMI), introductions
Elizabeth Webbink, Inkweb.org, presiding
Jim Thomas, National Visualization and Analytics Center
Sponsor: Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI)
3:30 PM
Adjourn