M-RCBG Senior Fellow-Led Study Group: Ted Truman
Tuesday, February 21, 4:00-5:30pm
Wexner 434A Conference Room
This Study Group will be an extension of a discussion held in September about Lessons from International Economic Policy Cooperation with an emphasis on the past 50 years. Today, the post-World War II structure of economic policy cooperation faces multiple threats arising from the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East, and the emergence of a new breed of autocrats in many countries. In addition, climate change, economic inequality, rising debt levels, the spread of disease, and political instability motivate massive migration movements around the world. Will this mixture poison economic policy cooperation?
We will discuss this question in three parts:
- Why do nations cooperate on economic policy issues?
- To what extent are incentives to cooperate on economic policy issues weaker than they were 50 years ago, at points in between, or three years ago when the COVID pandemic broke?
- What is our conclusion on the basic question?
This study group / discussion is open to all. Registration is not necessary.
M-RCBG welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs. To request accommodations or ask questions about access provided, please email: mrcbg@hks.harvard.edu
Edwin (Ted) M. Truman was a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) from 2001 until December 31, 2020. Before joining PIIE, he was assistant secretary for international affairs at the U.S. Treasury from 1998 to January 2001. He returned to the Treasury as counsellor to the secretary from March 2009 to May 2009. Prior to his service at the Treasury, he was director of the division of international finance at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from June 1977 until October 1998. He joined the staff of the Federal Reserve in 1972 after teaching at Yale. He received his PhD in economics from Yale in 1967 and his B.A. from Amherst College in 1963. As a senior fellow at M-BCBG, he continues his research on the international coordination of economic policies. His faculty sponsor is Robert Lawrence, Albert L. Williams Professor of International Trade and Investment, Harvard Kennedy School. Email: etruman@hks.harvard.edu Email: etruman@hks.harvard.edu