The Future of the Federal Reserve Event, 4/27/11, New York City.

One lesson to be learned from the financial crisis and subsequent recession is how important the Federal Reserve is to the economy and how much liberals and progressives need to engage with the institution post-crash. Conservatives are organizing against a full employment mandate and rallying around the gold standard wing of their party, and I believe it is time progressives and liberals start to play offense.

With this in mind, the Roosevelt Institute has put together a panel next Wednesday, April 27th, in New York City, 8am to noon, on the future of the Federal Reserve. This event is co-hosted with the New America Foundation, and there will be a second, follow-up event on May 9th in Washington, DC with a different panel of experts asking different questions, complimenting the ones we will engage with.

The first panel will talk about the current challenges surrounding the Federal Reserve, from full employment to financial reform to a progressive narrative on monetary policy. The second panel will look at the Federal Reserve over the 20th century and how it has adapted to deal with different political and economic realities. It has changed in the past and will change in the future to respond to new circumstances; this is entirely appropriate and it is essential that liberals get involved in shaping it. The final panel will look to potential issues that the Federal Reserve will face down the line, from financial regulation as a macroeconomic issue to capital controls to inflation targeting to the battle for full employment, and how we can use these as opportunities to build a stronger Federal Reserve that works for all of us.

If you are interested in joining, send an email to Madeleine Ehrlich if you are interested. Space is limited, so make sure to contact her for the few remaining spaces.

Here is the current line-up:

Introduction
Andy Rich, CEO, Roosevelt Institute
Joe Stiglitz, Columbia University, Roosevelt Institute

Panel One: The Federal Reserve Now
Matthew Yglesias, Center for American Progress
Joe Gagnon, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Dennis Kelleher, Better Markets
Joerg Bibow, Skidmore College, Levy Institute
Moderator: Mike Konczal, Roosevelt Institute

Panel Two: The Federal Reserve Throughout History
Perry Mehlring, Columbia University
Tim Canova, Chapman University
Jeff Madrick, Roosevelt Institute
Elizabeth Renuart, Albany School of Law
Moderator: Matthew Stoller, Roosevelt Institute

Panel Three: The Future of Federal Reseserve
Jane D’Arista, PERI, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Gerald Epstein, PERI, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Thomas Palley, New America Foundation
Moderator: Rob Johnson, Roosevelt Institute, INET

Video will be available afterward on the Roosevelt Institute’s website. Hope to see you there.