March Conference:  Policy Options For The “New Normal”

Assuming that NABE’s forecast panel is right, the U.S. economy should be gaining momentum next spring when the 2010 Washington Economic Policy Conference convenes on March 7-9.  The meeting’s theme captures the looming question: The New Normal? Policy Choices After The Great Recession.

Early bird registration is underway for the conference at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, Va. Register by January 30 to take advantage of reduced rates. Plan to arrive early and attend the NABE president’s welcome reception in late afternoon on Sunday, March 7.  Attendees and their guests are also invited to a reception at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., the evening of Monday, March 8.

Romer, Elmendorf Among Headliners

Confirmed speakers include Christina Romer, chair of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers; Jurgen Stark, member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank; Douglas Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office; Brian Sack, executive vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; and Jim Owens, chairman and chief executive officer of Caterpillar, Inc.

Invited speakers include Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. Conference organizers are assembling panels for general and concurrent sessions on a wide range of key topics including health care reform, climate change, and the global commodities outlook.

New Choices As Recession Fades

“The U.S. economy will face critical policy choices in 2010 on fiscal, monetary, and other issues.  This conference will bring together some of the most influential policy leaders and thinkers in the nation and from abroad on topics that could profoundly affect your company or institution during the next few years,” said NABE President Lynn Reaser, chief economist of Point Loma Nazarene University.

 “Federal and state budgets, the Federal Reserve’s `exit’ strategy, health care, real estate, small business, environmental rules, and defense will all be on the docket,” Reaser said.  “Spend two days with a front row seat in Washington to obtain insights available nowhere else.”

Defining the “New Normal”

Policy Conference Chair Stuart Mackintosh, a NABE board member and executive director of The Group of Thirty, said the general and concurrent sessions will provide opportunities “to debate the domestic political and economic drivers for the post recession period.  We will hear from leading U.S. and international economic leaders and private sector actors.  After all, the prospects for growth depend just as much on developments in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere as they do on what American consumers decide to do with their hard-earned cash in 2010.”

Elaborating on the theme of policies for a “new normal,” Mackintosh explained:  “After the great recession many old economic truths are broken and scattered on the ground.  The great moderation is over. Self-regulation has been abandoned.  Many, if not most, regulators failed. Firm-level risk management failed.   So we confront a new normal in which global reregulation is the goal. So, too, is stimulating growth and employment. All this and more must be achieved while grappling with hard monetary and fiscal choices across the board. The NABE conference provides the forum in Washington to see all these debates play out.  It is a must for those who want insight into the policymaking process this spring.”

Other members of the conference organizing committee include:  Douglas Duncan, Fannie Mae; William Strauss, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; Kevin Swift, American Chemistry Council; Kevin Kliesen, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Diane Swonk, Mesirow Financial; Christopher Banks, ITOCHU International; and Nayantara Hensel, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and Sean Snaith, University of Central Florida and representing the Association for University Business and Economic Research (AUBER).

For conference program updates, go to: http://nabe.com/pc10/index.html

 Hotel Registration Information 

The conference will be held at the Marriott Key Bridge, just across the Potomac from  Georgetown, at 1401 Lee Highway in Arlington, Va. To make reservations contact the Marriott Key Bridge directly at 703-524-6400 or 1-800-228-9290. When making reservations, mention the NABE conference to receive the discounted rate of $219 per night (single or double). Make reservations by February 10 to secure the discounted room rate.  For up-to-date information about the Marriott Key Bridge Hotel in Arlington, VA, please see the hotel website.

Call to Jazz Musicians!

Jazz musicians, bring your sax, horn, voice, or whatever to the policy conference for our third annual jam session set for the evening welcome reception on Sunday, March 1. 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, and stands. 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!

Share: