Avoiding Presentation Horror Shows
Ruth Levitsky
Wed Jan 12, 03-05:00pm, E51-385
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Was your last presentation a horror show? Do you avoid taking classes that involve presentations? In this session we'll cover the techniques for preparing yourself physically and mentally for your next presentation.
Contact: Ruth levitsky, E52-252, x3-3399, levitsky@mit.edu
|
Be Brief, Be Memorable!
Alison Lee Freeman
Mon Jan 3, Tue Jan 11, 18, 01-03:00pm, E51-385
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Prereq: None
Master the craft of presenting the business of you in print and in person!
You may feel that you just aren’t good at getting up in front of people and talking about yourself. You may also think that people who present themselves well at job interviews or conferences just happen to be good at that sort of thing, when the truth is that anyone can make a great first impression. This workshop offers a practical guide to brief yet memorable ways to define and sell the business of you. We will explore both content and delivery; after all, it is what you say and how you say it. You will learn ways to get past writer’s block and learn how vocal technique and body language can help you make a positive impression.
Contact: Ruth Levitsky, x3-3399
Cosponsor: Toastmasters@MIT
|
Chatter by the Charles Toastmasters Club
Ruth Levitsky
Wed Jan 5, 12, 19, 26, 12:30-01:30pm, E19-431
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Come learn how you can improve your public speaking skills
Contact: Ruth Levitsky, E52-252, x3-3399, levitsky@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Toastmasters@MIT
|
Economic Origins of the Fractal Behavior of the Stock Market
Xavier Gabaix
Thu Jan 27, 04-05:00pm, E51-376
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Economic data display a series of robust fractal relationships that seem to hold across different times and economic systems. For instance, the distribution of firms, cities, mutual funds and even internet sites seem to follow "Zipf's law." Zipf's law says that the size of firms (resp. city, mutual fund etc) of the n-th largest city is proportional to 1/n. Similarly robust patterns have been found in the scaling of stock market fluctuations, trading activity, firm and GDP growth dynamics. This talk will survey the evidence and proposed explanations for those regularities. They typically have a "statistical physics" flavor and give us a better insight in what causes fractal behavior in economic life.
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
Global Imbalances
Olivier Blanchard, Ricardo Caballero
Thu Jan 20, 02-03:00pm, E51-335
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
THIS SESSION WAS RESCHEDULED FROM 1/11/05
A look at the economic state of the world, from growth in China, to the current account deficits of the US.
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
Income Distribution in Macroeconomics
Reto Foellmi Visiting Scholar MIT & Professor University of Zurich
Mon Jan 24, Tue Jan 25, Wed Jan 26, 01-02:30pm, E51-361
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
The lectures give a short overview on recent contributions to the analysis of income distribution in macroeconomic models. The focus is on two main questions.
First, how does the distribution of income and wealth evolve in a market economy? Under which conditions does the gap between rich and poor people tend to increase or decrease over time?
Second, is a more equal distribution of income and wealth beneficial or harmful for accumulation and growth? We outline the role of capital market imperfections which may hinder investment in human or physical capital. Then, we turn to product market imperfections and study the impact of inequality on the market structure which affects the demand for innovative products.
Web: http://www.iew.unizh.ch/home/rfoellmi/iap
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
Is The US Corporate Governance System in Disrepair? A View from the Board
Bengt Holmstrom, Paul Joskow, Lucian Bebchuk (Harvard Law)
Tue Jan 11, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-376
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Is the US corporate governance system in fundamental disrepair? Have executives lost their business ethics? Have boards been complacent or irresponsible? In this session, hear from two economists with extensive experience from corporate boards who will provide a fresh perspective on these questions. They will offer a more nuanced account of the problems of corporate governance and how to proceed with reforms including those aimed at executive compensation and shareholder empowerment.
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
Is There a Bubble in the US Housing Market?
William Wheaton
Wed Jan 26, 03:30-05:00pm, E51-149
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Professor Wheaton will examine the history of the US housing market and its cyclic as well as secular movements. He will examine the role of various economic forces and institutional changes that propel the market and discuss the likelihood that currently prices are at unsustainably high levels. The class will use statistical analysis.
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
Learning about Aging from Past Populations
Dora Costa
Tue Jan 25, 11am-12:00pm, E51-376
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
US and European populations are living longer and longer and becoming healthier and healthier. Why? What implications does this have for the economy?
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
Social Security After The Election
Peter Diamond
Wed Jan 26, 10:30-11:30am, E51-315
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prospects for social security reform after the election
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
Some Good Macroeconomic Topics
Olivier Blanchard, and Other Macroeconomics Professors
Tue Jan 25, 04:15-05:45pm, E51-372
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Discussion of various Macroeconomic topics, titles TBA.
Contact: T. Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
The 2004 Election
James Snyder, Stephen Ansolabehere, Adam Berinsky, Charles Stewart
Fri Jan 21, 01-02:30pm, E51-376
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
On January 21st, a new president will just have been inaugurated, or an old one re-inaugurated. Four professors from Political Science and Economics will discuss what they found most interesting about the 2004 election and what the next four years will bring.
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Political Science
|
The Power of Tax-Deferred Retirement Savings
James Poterba
Fri Jan 14, 12-01:00pm, E51-376
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Retirement savers who take advantage of tax-deferred savings opportunities, such as 401(k) Plans and Individual Retirement Accounts, have the opportunity to earn higher after-tax returns than investors who do not save in tax-deferred form. This seminar will explain the relationship between investment time horizons, rates of return, and the amount of wealth that can be accumulated for retirement.
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Human Resources
|
Toastmasters at MIT Open House
Ruth Levitsky
Fri Jan 7, 14, 21, 28, 12-01:00pm, E18-021
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Come learn how you can improve your public speaking skills
Contact: Ruth Levitsky, E52-252, x3-3399, levitsky@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Toastmasters@MIT
|
What Can You Do With a Course 14 Degree?
Jonathan Gruber
Tue Jan 18, 01:30-03:00pm, E51-390
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
A panel of outside experts will discuss job options for economics majors.
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
What Works in Development? Evaluating the Impact of Anti-Poverty Programs
Esther Duflo
Thu Jan 27, 01-04:00pm, E51-376
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
We discuss the work of MIT's Poverty Action Lab--a center devoted to providing rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of different approaches to poverty reduction. We discuss the surprising lack of evidence and the flaws in many evaluations of social programs . We willl present ways to measure more accurately the impact of these programs. In particular, with example drawn from all over the world, we discuss the role of randomized evaluations estimate the effectiveness of a program by comparing outcomes of randomly assigned treatment and comparison groups.
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
World Oil: Why Are Prices So High?
Paul Joskow, Denny Ellerman, Morris Adelman
Wed Jan 12, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-372
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
World oil prices increased dramtically during the past year and have a history of substantial price volatility. US imports of oil continue to grow and now account for over 50% of domestic consumption. Should we expect that the high oil prices will persist over the long run? Is the world running out of oil? Are energy security issues being addressed properly? Come to hear a group of MIT energy experts discuss these issues.
Contact: Theresa Benevento, E52-274, x3-8883, theresa@mit.edu
|
|
