On November 20th the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE) convened a panel of distinguished UW-Madison professors who offered different perspectives on the causes, consequences, and potential solutions for the global economic crisis.   The program provided insight into the following questions: How did a crisis in the U.S. housing market grow into a full blown global economic crisis? What do these events mean for the global economy, governments, businesses and average people around the world? How might we evaluate proposed solutions here and abroad? 

The experts represented multiple disciplines and included: Menzie Chinn, Public Affairs and Economics; Mark Copelovitch, Political Science and Public Affairs; Edward Friedman, Political Science; Darian Ibrahim, Law; and Mark Ready, Finance, School of Business. 

The panel answered a number of audience questions which ranged from how employment in the U.S. manufacturing sector will change to hypothetical recommendations for President-elect Obama.  Ending on a positive note, the panelists concluded with their views of the “silver lining” from the crisis.  While the fallout has been serious, the professors were optimistic about the well-developed macroeconomic tools and large body of research available to policymakers around the world.  Civic engagement, they cited, is also an important component to emerging from the global crisis. 

This event was organized by the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE)and co-sponsored by the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), Division of International Studies, Wisconsin School of Business, Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA), Madison International Trade Association (MITA), Department of Political Science, Department of Economics, Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, Stephen L. Hawk Center for Applied Security Analysis, UW-Madison Law School, and Global Studies.