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

Digital Privacy

Question A:

The potential for consumer privacy to be compromised by digital platforms’ use of personal data is sufficient to justify regulations that assign consumers some kind of default control rights over their data.

Question B:

To date, EU efforts to regulate use of personal data - primarily the General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR - have been largely ineffective at protecting consumers.

Question C:

To date, EU efforts to regulate use of personal data - primarily GDPR - have imposed substantial costs on European businesses, slowing innovation and growth.

 
Finance

Trump Accounts

Question A:

The proposed Trump Accounts (https://trumpaccounts.gov/) will provide an initial savings deposit of $1,000 from the US Treasury to eligible children born between 2025 and 2028, and allow up to $5,000 a year in additional private contributions.

The proposed Trump Accounts will substantially improve long-term wealth accumulation.

Question B:

The proposed Trump Accounts will substantially reduce income inequality among future generations.

Question C:

The proposed Trump Accounts will substantially increase support for free-market capitalism over socialism.

 
US

Ukraine Peace Plans

This US survey examines: There are reports that the US strategy in negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict is prioritizing economic interdependence: https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/russia-u-s-peace-business-ties-4db9b290; (a) Creating expanded mutual business opportunities for American, Russian, and Ukrainian firms would lead to a substantially more stable peace agreement (b) Pursuing economic interdependence without complementary diplomacy (including credible guarantees of Ukraine’s future security) is unlikely to end the conflict and subsequently preserve peace 
FT-Booth US Macroeconomists Survey

FTxBooth: Interest Rate Cut?

This installment of the FTxBooth US Macroeconomists Survey discusses economists’ thoughts regarding the December 2025 FOMC meeting and the likelihood of an interest rate cut. The summary results are below and you can read the Financial Times article here, subscription required. View the results of this survey>> For social media: Please use the hashtag #FTxBooth […] 
On Global Markets

AI and Growth

Wall Street certainly seems, despite recent wobbles, to be optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence. Despite some chaotic policymaking, the imposition of the steepest tariffs since the 1930s, a lengthy government shutdown and mounting concerns about the health of the jobs market, the benchmark S&P 500 index has advanced around 15% this year and […] 
Europe

AI, Growth, and Jobs

This European survey examines (a) Adoption of artificial intelligence will lead to a substantial increase in the growth rates of real per capita income in the US and Western Europe over the next ten years; b) Adoption of artificial intelligence will lead to a substantial increase in the unemployment rates in the US and Western Europe over the next ten years 

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