IAP Independent Activities Period
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IAP 2012 Activities by Sponsor

Economics

Career: Business Schools
Robert Gibbons, Roberto Rigobon
Mon Jan 23, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-372

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This session will discuss how several kinds of economists (in fields such as IO, applied micro, applied theory, macro, and international) have found productive professorial careers in several kinds of faculty groups (including economics, strategy, political economy, and international management) within several kinds of business schools (from Chicago to HBS, and many in between). Of course, professorial career includes both research and teaching, so we will discuss how both may be somewhat different than in an economics department, but also how in many business schools the differences compared to a department are greater in terms of teaching than research.
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu
Cosponsor: Academic Media Production Services

Career: Liberal Arts Colleges
Courtney Coile
Tue Jan 24, 01-02:30pm, E51-372

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Prof. Coile will discuss the differences between getting a job at a liberal arts college following completion of the PhD, as opposed to working at a research university.
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

Career: Public Policy School
Brigitte Madrian Harvard Kennedy School
Thu Jan 26, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-372

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Professor Madrian will talk about her experiences being on the faculty of a public policy school. What are the students like? What are the programs like? What are the colleagues like? What are the tradeoffs between teaching at a public policy school and a more traditional academic department? What are the tradeoffs between teaching at a public policy school and a business school?
Web: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/brigitte-madrian
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

Corruption in Developing Countries
Ben Olken
Tue Jan 10, 01-02:30pm, E51-376

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This talk will discuss how economic theory helps us understand the problem of corruption. Real-world examples will be presented, such as understanding the bribes that truck drivers pay corrupt traffic police in Indonesia.
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

Creativity: It's All In Your Head
Ruth Levitsky, Toastmasters@MIT, Cherylle Garnes, Ariela Marshall, Gustavo Garcia Barragan, Janet Johnson, David Marshall
Sat Jan 28, 09:30am-12:30pm, E51-145

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Limited to 50 participants.
Single session event

Everyone is born with a creative spark. However, in North America most people stop being creative by the third grade. In this interactive team presentation you will learn tips, techniques and games to sharpen, enhance and spark your creativity in all areas of your life. These tips and techniques are connected to the seven intelligences of Dr. Howard Gardner. Expect to learn something new and have fun while doing it.

The Creativity Integrators were Toastmasters who branched out into this field in 2003. They come from all walks of life.

To help us plan for handouts, please sign up at
http://tinyurl.com/creativeones. Anyone is welcome to attend whether they register or not, though.
Web: http://tinyurl.com/creativeones
Contact: Ruth Levitsky, E52-252, x3-3399, levitsky@mit.edu, CreativityIntegrators@hotmail.com
Cosponsor: Toastmasters@MIT

Euro Crisis in Italy
Guido Lorenzoni
Wed Jan 25, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-335

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

A look at the Italian economy from the 80s to the current crisis. We'll consider both short run issues—the sell-off in Italian government bond markets starting in the Summer 2011; and long run issues—why economic growth in Italy has been stagnant since the late 80s?
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

Housing Market Update
William Wheaton
Thu Feb 2, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-395

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Professor Wheaton reviews the sources of the Housing Boom/Bust, examines the prospects and timing of a likely recovery, and suggests some interventions to hasten this.
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

Impact of Trade with China on Local U.S. Labor Markets
David Autor
Tue Jan 31, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-395

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

China's rise from a closed economy to a leading world trading power over the course of roughly two decades is unprecedented in modern history. While China's current place in the world trading system is logical given its vast size and resources, its rapid rise has been highly disruptive to firms and nations that produce goods in which China has gained comparative advantage. This IAP talk will consider the impact that China's rising competitive position has had on local U.S. labor markets since 1990, focusing specifically on particular labor markets that house import-competing manufacturers. In addition to presenting quantitative evidence on the consequences for local labor markets and the adjustment process that ensues, I will consider potential implications for labor market and trade policies.
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

Poor Economics
Abhijit Banerjee
Mon Jan 9, 01-02:30pm, E51-315

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Billions of government dollars, and thousands of charitable organizations and NGOs, are dedicated to helping the world's poor. But much of their work is based on assumptions that are untested generalizations at best, harmful misperceptions at worst.
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

Steps to Limit Future Global Financial Crises
Peter Diamond
Wed Jan 18, 01-02:30pm, E51-315

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Peter Diamond will discuss steps to limit future global financial crises with particular attention to the research needed to do a good job
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

The Current State of Health Care Reform in the U.S.
Jonathan Gruber
Thu Jan 12, 11-12:00am, E51-395

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This talk will discuss the path to national health reform, the content of the recent health care reform bill, and where we go from here.
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

The Great Recession in Historical Perspective
Peter Temin
Mon Jan 23, 01-02:30pm, E51-335

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This talk compares the current crisis to the Great Depression and discussions after then. I discuss the cause, spread and recovery from each of the crises in turn. One of my themes comes from Marx: History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

Turmoil in the World Economy: A View from the IMF
Olivier Blanchard
Fri Jan 20, 01-02:30pm, E51-345

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu

Unofficial Guide To Trying to Do Empirical Work
Amy Finkelstein
Wed Jan 11, 10:30am-12:00pm, E51-376

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This talk will be aimed at graduate students trying to (or planning to try to do) empirical research. It will consist of some practical suggestions and tips and there will be time for questions.
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mirt.edu

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Poverty and Prosperity
Daron Acemoglu
Tue Jan 17, 02:30-04:00pm, E51-335

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

What are the determinants of long-term success for a country? In Adam Smith's time, the poorest country was probably four or five times poorer than the richest. This disparity has grown incredibly—but why? Why do such gaps endure? And if we can diagnose these issues, can we then rectify them?
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E52-251, x3-8885, lwoodbur@mit.edu


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Last update: 7 Sept. 2011