Clark Center Forum

About the Clark Center Forum

The Forum for the Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets is home to the European, Finance, and US Economic Experts Panels as well as a repository of thoughtful, current, and reliable information regarding topics of the day.
Europe

Banks and Financial Crises

Question A:

Research on the nature and impact of bank runs has made it possible to limit the occurrence of financial crises and the economic damage they cause.

Question B:

Despite repeated reforms of financial regulation (and macroprudential policies in some countries), there will always be occasional financial crises.

 
US

Banks and Financial Crises

Question A:

Research on the nature and impact of bank runs has made it possible to limit substantially the wider economic damage from financial crises.

Question B:

Reforms of financial regulation since 2008 (and macroprudential policies in some countries) will not substantially reduce the probability of financial crises.

 
US

Hurricane Economics

This US survey examines (a) In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, the level of Florida’s GDP in five years will be substantially lower than it otherwise would; (b) The prospect of further costly extreme weather events means that there is a substantial chance that some private property insurance markets will no longer exist in ten years in states such as Florida; (c) Without large government subsidies, mandated flood insurance requirements would substantially reduce losses from subsequent natural disasters by encouraging economic activity to migrate from the most flood-prone areas 
Articles

Explaining the Rationale for the 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded to former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke of the Brookings Institution, Douglas Diamond at Chicago and Philip Dybvig at Washington University in St. Louis “for their research on banks and financial crises”. Anil Kashyap explains the rationale for this recognition. 
Europe

Bankers’ Bonus Cap

This European survey examines (a) The UK’s removal of the cap on bankers' bonuses (introduced by the EU in 2014 and which limits payouts to two times annual base salary) will provide a measurable boost to the country’s economic growth; (b) Removing the cap on bankers' bonuses will measurably enhance the global competitiveness of the UK’s financial services sector; (c) Removing the cap on bankers' bonuses will pose a measurable risk to financial stability in the UK. 
US

Student Loan Relief

This US survey examines (a) The administration’s loan relief plan will not have a substantial impact on inflation in either direction; (b) A longer-term impact of the administration’s loan relief plan is likely to be substantially higher tuition fees at some universities; (c) A longer-term impact of the administration’s loan relief plan is likely to be measurably higher student debt burdens in anticipation of future forgiveness 
Finance

Executive Pay

This Finance survey examines (a) The typical chief executive officer of a publicly traded corporation in the U.S. is paid more than his or her marginal contribution to the firm's value. (b) Mandating that U.S. publicly listed corporations must allow shareholders to cast a non-binding vote on executive compensation was a good idea. 
Finance

Climate Reporting Mandate

This Finance survey examines (a) A mandate for public companies to provide climate-related disclosures (such as their greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint) would provide financially material information that enables investors to make better decisions; (b) A mandate for public companies to provide climate-related disclosures would provide material information that enables investors to make better decisions with regards to non-financial objectives (such as aiding portfolio choice based on ESG principles); (c) A mandate for public companies to provide climate-related disclosures would induce them to reduce their climate impact substantially. 
Finance

Stakeholder Capitalism

This Finance survey examines (a) Having companies run to maximize shareholder value creates significant negative externalities for workers and communities. (b) Appropriately managed corporations could create significantly greater value than they currently do for a range of stakeholders – including workers, suppliers, customers, and community members – with negligible impacts on shareholder value. (c) Effective mechanisms for boards of directors to ensure that CEOs act in ways that balance the interests of all stakeholders would be straightforward to introduce. 

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