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.
US

Modern Monetary Theory

Question A:

Countries that borrow in their own currency should not worry about government deficits because they can always create money to finance their debt.

Question B:

Countries that borrow in their own currency can finance as much real government spending as they want by creating money.

 
Europe

European Champions

Question A:

The average European is better off if Europe’s competition authorities let firms merge into European champions in their sectors, even it weakens competition.

Question B:

If China and other countries use policies that create giant international firms, then the average European is better off if Europe's competition authorities let firms merge into European champions in their sectors, even it weakens competition.

 
US

Subsidies to Attract Businesses

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) When local governments compete by offering subsidies to a firm that is willing to relocate, and shopping across multiple alternative areas, the firm typically captures most of value that is created via the relocation.

B) A federal prohibition against states and municipalities offering tax subsidies to attract specific businesses that are shopping across multiple areas to relocate would be welfare improving for the average taxpayer. 
Europe

Quarterly Earnings

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) Letting publicly traded European firms report earnings annually rather than quarterly would lead their executives to place more weight on long-term issues in their investments and other decisions.

B) A switch from quarterly to annual earnings reports would, on net, benefit shareholders of European firms. 
Europe

Social Responsibility

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel Statement(s):

A) To the extent that public corporations pursue social and environmental initiatives, they tend to achieve higher risk-adjusted (private) returns than otherwise similar corporations that pursue such initiatives less.

B) To the extent that Norway’s global government pension fund makes investments for social and environmental objectives — apart from investments that would bring the highest expected risk-adjusted returns — it improves the welfare of Norwegians. 
Europe

EU Fiscal Rules

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) The fiscal rules of the European Union should give more flexibility to member countries.

B) The Italian budget for 2019 that the European Commission rejected in October would have increased Italy’s risk of fiscal insolvency substantially.

C) If France runs a 2019 budget deficit of around 3.4% of GDP, as announced by President Macron’s government, France’s risk of fiscal insolvency will increase substantially. 

Topics

Recent Polls

Recent Articles