Recent Developments in Monetary Policy, Fiscal Policy, and Financial System Design
A Conference to Honor Ben Friedman
April 22-23, 2011
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
600 Atlantic Avenue, Boston MA
This conference brings together students and colleagues to honor Ben Friedman’s contributions to economics over the four-decade span of his career. The conference participants will present and discuss new work that is characteristic of Ben’s contributions to economics, with emphasis on monetary and fiscal policy issues.
Friday, April 22, 2011
| 7:30 a.m. | Registration and continental breakfast |
| 8:30 a.m. | Welcome and opening remarks |
Monetary Policy
| 8:45 a.m. | Tactics and Strategy in Swiss Monetary Policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Presenters: | Thomas Jordan |
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| Discussant: | Lars Svensson  (Sveriges Riksbank) |
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| 9:45 a.m. | Break |
|
| 10:15 a.m. | Can Inflation Targeting Make You Pursue the Wrong Policy? | |
| Presenters: | Adam Posen |
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| Discussant: | Gauti Eggertsson (Federal Reserve Bank of New York) |
|
| 11:15 a.m. | The Role of Expectations in Inflation Dynamics | |
| Presenter: | Jeff Fuhrer (Federal Reserve Bank of Boston) |
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| Discussant: | Jim Stock (Harvard University) |
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| 12:15 p.m. | Lunch | |
| 1:45 p.m. | Inflation Targeting: A Canadian Perspective | |
| Presenter: | Angelo Melino |
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| Discussant: | David Johnson (Wilfred Laurier University) |
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| 2:45 p.m. | Get Real: Interpreting Nominal Exchange Rate Fluctuations | |
| Presenter: | Rich Clarida |
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| Discussant: | Hans-Helmut Kotz (Center for Financial Studies) |
|
| 3:45 p.m. | Break | |
Fiscal Policy, Investment, and Financial System Design
| 4:00 p.m. | Tax Policy and the Effects of Government Deficits on Economic Activity | |
|---|---|---|
| Presenter: | Glenn Hubbard |
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| Discussant: | Alberto Alesina (Harvard University) |
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| 5:00 p.m. | Reception and dinner | |
Saturday, April 23, 2011
| 7:30 a.m. | Continental breakfast |
The Design of Financial Systems
| 8:30 a.m. | Natural Expectations and Investment Dynamics |
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|---|---|---|
| Presenter: | David Laibson |
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| Discussant: | Paul Willen (Federal Reserve Bank of Boston) | |
| 9:30 a.m. | Break | |
| 9:45 a.m. | Financial System Design: Some Core Principles | |
| Presenter: | Zvi Bodie |
|
| Discussant: | Arturo Estrella (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) | |
| 10:45 a.m. | Break | |
| 11:00 a.m. | Closing Panel | |
| Panelists: | Ben Friedman |
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| 12:30 p.m. | Luncheon and adjournment |
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