March Conference Will Probe Role of Economics In Post-Midterm Election Policy Environment

With the political majority shifting to the Democratic side of the aisle in the new Congress, it’s time for a fresh look at how economics will play a critical role in bringing about effective policy changes.  That’s the theme of NABE’s 2007 March Policy Conference – in its 23rd year.

Mark your calendars for March 12-13 and make reservations at the Marriott Crystal City at Reagan National Airport, just outside of Washington, D.C.

Will the White House and Congress get serious about Social Security and other entitlement reform?   Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson (invited) raised the private savings accounts issue soon after the November elections and indicated a willingness to negotiate with leaders on Capitol Hill.  What about Sarbanes-Oxley reforms and health care policy changes?  Monetary policy options in the slower economic growth environment will be addressed by leading thinkers inside and outside the Fed.

“It’s the interaction between economics and policymaking that we want to get at in this Policy Conference,” not the partisan rhetoric, said John Silvia, chair of the NABE committee organizing the conference, and chief economist, Wachovia Bank.  “It’s important to find out what we can learn from the past and how economics can make a difference in the most important policy debates.”

Hear from Bush administration officials and the most influential private sector policy analysts –those who will fashion the strategy for moving forward in 2007 on long-stalled reforms and initiatives.  Confirmed speakers include Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Edward Lazear, Securities and Exchange Commissioner Paul Atkins, director designate of the Congressional Budget Office Peter Orszag, former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin, and Evercore Partners Co-Founder and former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Roger Altman.

Choose among nine general sessions and 12 educational sessions on topics that include:

• Congressional and White House policy agendas
• Energy markets and biofuels
• Monetary policy: targets, indicators, and methods
• Medicaid reform options
• Global landscape and exchange rates
• Economic modeling and output usage
• Global competition and Sarbanes-Oxley update
• Tax policy options—increases, cuts, or major reform?

Highlighting one of the international sessions, Charles Steindel, a member of the conference organizing committee and senior vice president, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, described the panel that will focus on the market-based reforms in Japan and Germany.  “We sometimes forget that they are the second and third biggest industrial economies.  The reform process in both countries has been prolonged, and the outcomes will be important for growth in Europe and other regions of the world.”  Speakers confirmed for this session are: Adam Posen, Peterson Institute for International Economics; Alfred Steinherr, German Institute for Economic Research, and Jun Kurihara, Kennedy School, Harvard University.

Implications of the housing slump and related mortgage and finance issues provide the backdrop for a session on alternative mortgage products. Richard Brown, NABE’s newest board member who also serves on the conference organizing committee, said the speakers will be Doug Duncan, Mortgage Bankers Association of America, and Dean Baker, Center for Economic Policy and Research. Brown is chief economist, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.  Other members of the Policy Conference organizing committee are: Kathleen Camilli, president of Camilli Ecomomics; and Richard Wobbekind, associate dean, University of Colorado at Boulder.

Conference attendees are invited to a special reception on Monday night at the newly opened, splendid Embassy of Sweden on the Potomac River in Georgetown.  Completed in October 2006, the embassy is modern in its design and provides a distinctively Scandinavian touch to this historic area.

Register by Feb. 15 and save $50 on registration fees.  For hotel reservations contact the Marriott Crystal City directly at 1-800-228-9290 or 703-413-3500.  Mention the NABE conference for the discounted rate of $209 single or double. Make hotel reservations by Feb. 15 for the discounted rate.

Program updates for the conference can be found at: http://www.nabe.com/pc07/

Call to Jazz Musicians!

Jazz musicians, bring your axe, horn, voice, or whatever to the Policy Conference for our second annual jam session set for the evening welcome reception on Sunday, March 11. Enthusiasm is more important than proficiency.  If you sound like Stan Getz or Diana Krall, that’s cool; if you play outside – either on purpose or by accident – that’s cool, too.  Our focus will be on relatively simple tunes – a mix of standards, blues, bossas and bebop tunes – in order to maximize participation.  Head charts in C, B-flat, and E-flat will be provided.  Also, the room will have a piano, drum set, stands and amps.  We need to know how many will show up and what instruments, so please contact Bob Crow at (650) 343-7615 or rtcrow@comcast.net to let him know if you will participate and to offer comments and suggestions.  Drop your inhibitions, bring your instrument, and be there!