engaging the world - Elliott School of International Affairs - The ...

iieP
INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY
In 2009-10, the Institute for International Economic Policy (IIEP) capitalized on its location just steps from some
of the most influential financial and trade organizations in the United States and the world to serve as an
important platform for events and research in the fields of international trade, finance, and development.
TACkLiNG ToUGH PRoBLeMS
IIEP sponsored 37 events during the 2009-10
academic year, with the primary goal of generating
and disseminating policy-relevant research. Many
events and activities were organized around the
institute’s top research priorities: adaptation to
climate change in developing countries, ultrapoverty
and its remedies, and international financial
regulation reform.
The climate change initiative sponsored or cosponsored
ten events during 2009-10, including a talk
by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman on his
book Hot, Flat, and Crowded.
IIEP’s ultra-poverty initiative hosted nine events,
including an April 2010 workshop co-sponsored
with the United Nations Development Program and
led by new GW faculty member James Foster. The
Chronicle of Higher Education featured Professor
Foster’s research on poverty measurement, and
the government of Mexico adopted the metrics he
helped to develop.
In November 2009, the institute held a widely
acclaimed conference on China’s Economic
Development and U.S.-China Relations, nicknamed
the “G2 at GW.” The full-day event drew
IIEP Director Stephen Smith
Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve
Board of Richmond, discusses “The Regulatory
Response to the Financial Crisis” at an IIEP event.
an audience of 150 scholars, students, and
policymakers. IIEP released a follow-up “Virtual
Conference Book” on its website, with video of
all the talks, as well as background papers and
PowerPoint presentations. C. Fred Bergsten, director
of the Peterson Institute for International Economics,
delivered the keynote address at the conference.
LeARNiNG FRoM THe FiNANCiAL CRiSiS
Many IIEP events focused on the financial crisis and
the issue of enhanced financial regulation. Under
the leadership of faculty members Marco Cipriani
and Ana Fostel, the institute held a conference on
“Financial Regulation and Supervision: Lessons from
the Crisis,” co-sponsored by the International
Monetary Fund Institute. The event, held in May
2010, featured ten leading scholars, as well Jeffrey
Lacker, the president of the Federal Reserve Board
of Richmond. It was covered in major news and
industry outlets, including CNBC, Reuters, Global
Finance, londonstockexchange.com, Bloomberg.
com, and TradeSignal.
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former director of the
Congressional Budget Office, also drew lessons from
the financial crisis in his March 2010 talk, “Addressing
the Fiscal Deficit Crisis.” Former Assistant Secretary
of the Treasury Phillip Swagel provided an insider’s
perspective during his November 2009 address at
IIEP. Former Federal Reserve Board Governor Randall
Kroszner discussed “Crisis Response at the Fed and
the New Regulatory Landscape” at a November
2009 event. Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist
Steven Pearlstein addressed “Correcting Global
Imbalances” during his IIEP talk in October 2009.
Monika Weber-Fahr, manager, World Bank International Finance Corporation Sustainability Business Innovator
Division, speaks at the March 2010 event, “Is Fairer Trade Compatible with Freer Markets?” The event was cosponsored
by the government of the Netherlands, the Heinrich Boell Foundation, and the Financial Times and
organized by GW faculty members Steven Suranovic and Susan Aaronson.
22 2009/2010 annual report the elliott school of international affairs 23