The Great Economist Conference Part II

What is the purpose of the conference?

The purpose of the conference is to understand the ideas that make up economics as we know it by
studying the life and works of some of the most influential economic and social thinkers of the past
and present. Though separated by many years, the ideas of these men still resonate in the debates
of economists and politicians today. Of course, these economists were not the only great minds on
the subect. !owe"er, they stand out as uni#ue thinkers or representati"es of broader currents
which were important in the de"elopment of economic thought. They ne"er had a chance to come
together in a conference room $ until now% &e will bring them together and see how they agree
and disagree. 'nd let the ideas with the most merit win the day%
Conference members:
Grading will be based on numerous
categories.
(. !ow well you managed your &eebly page )rubric below* $ +, )-. e/tra possible* points
.. !ow well you performed during the in class debate )rubric below* +, points
+. !ow acti"e and insightful were you in commenting on other pages and in responding to
those made on your own page0 )rubric below* $ (, points
Thomas Piketty
'lan Greenspan
1oseph 2tiglit3
Greg 4ankiw
Paul 5rugman
4ilton 6riedman
1ohn 4aynard
5eynes
6rederic "on
!ayek
7aguram 7aan
8udwig 9on 4ises
Weebly Page Rubric
Criteria 5 4 ! " #
'ccurate presentation of your economist
8ife and influences section is complete
4aor publications and ideas shown
Influence on field of economics
:uality;depth of written materials
7eadability and understandability
2tylistic strength and general <look= of webpage
$n Class %ebate Rubric
Criteria 5 4 ! " #
General stylistic presentation of your economists "iews
'ccuracy of information presented
Persuasi"eness of oral arguments
2tayed in character throughout
clear, concise and thoughtful challenges and rebuttals lobbied
>i"ided time e"enly among team members
Response Rubric
Criteria 5 4 ! " #
4ade at least one in?character comment on each page
demonstrating understanding of opposing "iews
7esponse to comments left on your page accurately reflect your
characters "iewpoints
Economic 2ummit 'genda
The Economic 2ummit will begin with a brief introduction by each of the economists. The
introduction should include@ name, year born, main positions held, brief summary of what you are
famous for. The time limit for the introductions is two minutes. 'fter that, the moderator will
begin by posing one of the following #uestions@
". What is the proper role of go&ernment in the economy?
!. $s ine'uality a ma(or obstacle to growth?
. Go&ernments should always stay with a certain range of G%P to debt ratio and under
no circumstances should they e)ceed it.
4. *hould Central +an,s raise and lower interest rates in order to reduce or e)pand
consumption?
5. -ric,le %own economics is the best way to stimulate long term growth.
.. /conomies would be better off without central ban,s and currency controls0 mar,ets
should be self correcting.
1. *hould Central +an,s aim for #2 inflation?
3. -a) rates should be hea&ily progressi&e0 ta,ing from the rich to supplement social
programs.
4. *hould go&ernments e)ert more control or less o&er the ban,ing and finance sector?
"#. %o go&ernments ha&e reason to ,eep a gold reser&e?
Initial answers should not e/ceed A, seconds. This will gi"e time for challenges;#uestions and
rebuttal. In no case should a challenge;#uestion or a rebuttal e/ceed A, seconds. 2o think clearly
about the kinds of #uestions you might get and how you should best respond. One good sentence
can better answer #uestions than B sentences of rubbish%