M-RCBG Senior Fellow-Led Study Group: Ted Truman


Thursday, October 5 , 4:15-5:45
M-RCBG Conference Room (B-102)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the final collapse of the Bretton Woods Rate Regime.
This study group will consider the international exchange rate system is today and how we got there.  An earlier study group considered the March 1973 decision to move to floating exchange rates for the major currencies. Attendance at that earlier study group is not required to attend this meeting.

Among the aspects of today’s exchange rate regime that we will consider are:

  1. How to describe the international exchange rate regime today?
  2. How did that regime evolve?
  3. Is it likely to evolve further? In what direction, toward more pegs or toward more freely floating rates?  Other?
  4. Is the exchange rate a less important economic variable today than 50, 30, or 10 years ago?
  5. What are the links between exchange rates and economic policies or other economic variables?

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


Ted Truman headshot, dark navy suit jacket and red tieEdwin (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.   He was a senior fellow at M-BCBG from 2021-2023 and is now a research fellow there. The focus of his research is on the international economic policy cooperation. Email: etruman@hks.harvard.edu