Economy Summit

March 13, 2013
Washington, DC

The “Great Recession” has prompted professors, policymakers, and pundits to take positions on the health of the U.S. economy and the cause of the crisis. Some experts believe that we are on a road to recovery, but a major question remains to be resolved: debt. While many have focused on the negative effects of our national debt, evidence shows that private debt—held by consumers and private businesses alike—may undermine our economy to an even greater degree.

With keynote speaker Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, The Atlantic's Second Annual Economy Summit examined topics like the declining value of the dollar, the merits of deleveraging the U.S. economy through targeted policies, the possibility of new “bubbles” forming in healthcare, education, and other industries, and the road to recovery.

For a transcript of James Bennet's interview with Gene Sperling, CLICK HERE

For a transcript of Paul Volcker's keynote presentation, CLICK HERE

For a transcript of John Hoeven being interviewed by Steve Clemons, CLICK HERE

For a transcript of Grover Norquist being interviewed by Steve Clemons, CLICK HERE

Speakers

Craig Alexander Senior Vice President and Chief Economist TD Bank
Sheila Bair Former Chair Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
James Bennet Editor-in-Chief The Atlantic
Margaret Carlson Columnist Bloomberg
Steve Clemons Editor-in-Chief, AtlanticLIVE, and Washington Editor-at-Large The Atlantic
Ron Fournier Editor-in-Chief National Journal
William Greider National Affairs Correspondent The Nation
Michael Hirsh Chief Correspondent National Journal
John Hoeven R-ND United States Senate
Michael Hudson President The Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends
Steve Keen University of Western Sydney; Publisher Debt Watch
Robert Kuttner Co-Founder and Co-Editor The American Prospect
David Leonhardt Washington Bureau Chief The New York Times
Lawrence B. Lindsey Former National Economic Advisor to President George W. Bush; Chief Executive Officer The Lindsey Group
Edward Luce Chief US Commentator and Columnist Financial Times
Maya MacGuineas President Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget; Head of Campaign to Fix the Debt
Paul McCulley Chairman of the Society of Fellows Global Interdependence Center
Monica Mehta Author The Entrepreneurial Instinct
Grover Norquist Founder and President Americans for Tax Reform
Tim Pawlenty Former Governor of Minnesota; President and Chief Executive Officer Financial Services Roundtable
Edward Rendell Former Governor Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Alice Rivlin Former Vice Chairman, Federal Reserve; Senior Fellow, Economic Studies Brookings Institution
Robert Rubin Co-Chairman Council on Foreign Relations
Sherle Schwenninger Director, Economic Growth Program New America Foundation
Yves Smith Publisher Naked Capitalsim
Gene Sperling Assistant to the President for Economic Policy; Director National Economic Council
Derek Thompson Senior Editor The Atlantic
Richard Vague Former Chief Executive Officer First USA Bank
Paul Volcker Former Chairman Federal Reserve Board
David Wessel Economics Editor and Columnist The Wall Street Journal