The 2011-2012 Henry Grattan Lecture Series will address the theme of The Debt Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Controls. Henry Grattan lectures aim to promote informed and non-partisan debate and to offer new ideas to decision-makers and opinion-formers on long-term social, political and economic challenges.
Speaker: Prof Karel Williams, Manchester Business School
Talk Title: Elites and Crisis: the Case of the Econocrats
Date: Thursday 19 January from 6.00 to 7.30pm
Venue: Thomas Davis Theatre, Arts Building, TCD
The financial crisis from 2008-11 demonstrates that econocrats (central bankers and regulators) cannot understand or control finance and markets. In this public lecture Karel Williams, Professor of Accounting and Political Economy at Manchester Business School, will argue that the debt debacle is also a crisis of our expert elites. The lecture will be chaired by Paul Sweeney, Economic Advisor at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Registration:
Lectures are open to the public and there is no charge to attend. However advanced registration is recommended. Reserve your place today.
For additional details visit the Policy Institute website.
9 replies on “The Debt Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Controls”
The bankers have a fantastic machine called a flux debt capacitor – it can travel into the future and acquire vast wealth for its operators.
The Best Ireland can hope for now is a kind of 1986 eat the peech never ending depression.
However we are not living in oil glut land.
Is this the future for Ireland ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqDzGXTYXyc
Just imagine roads regreening rather then track beds…………..
@Philip
Not exactly sure this is actually going off topic but if it is please accept my apologies.
I just read an article in The sunday Business Post attributed to Professor Brendan Simms and Declan Ganley.
IMHO it is a very thought provoking article advocating a sort of United States of Europe involving “Government by consent” and “Federlizing” of debt.
As everything comes back to debt, economy and Europe these days it might be very interesting to open a thread, or start a discussion on the idea, as a previous thread (advocating ireland joining sterling) provided very much interesting debate.
This (long) article may IMHO, prove as interesting as the content of Enda Kennyś speech to Adenauer foundation when he visited Germany some time ago.
Unfortunately I do not “do” links. 🙂
Interesting theme. Schumpeter might argue, if he were here, that the growth crisis in Europe is also in part caused by the rise of professional bureaucratic elites, including academics. A bit more, in fact a lot, of self-examination of this matter by more members of professional elites would be very enlightening.
Every member of the local pathetic elite here should go into ordnance survey Ireland’s wonderful Historic archive via its online shop portal and compare & contrast the truely fantastic late Victorian / Edwardian 25 inch map with aerial photos taken in 1995 , 2000 , & 2005.
What has happened is a sort of manic reverse industrialisation – a depletion through consumption mania.
May I suggest a journey perhaps following the North Kerry / Limerick line taking in the strange sights of rampant chaos as we travel west from Limerick through the towns of Adare , Rathkeale , NewCastle West , Abbeyfeale , Listowel , Lixnaw Ardfert & the subrural mess that lies between.
One may ask ourselfs how these rural people – soon to be dirt poor again will find the liquid energy to move around much ?
Nothing quite like this development has happened before – the closest european approximation of this “development” is in my opinion the area around Valenciennes but they at least had the excuse of 19th century coal / industrial development, being a first & second war battlefield and also a major centre for French car fabrication during the post war boom.
What exactly happened here since 87 ?
And what real on the ground solutions can be found ?
http://www.trams-in-france.net/valenciennes.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKywpU4ANVo
@ Dork.
It is difficult to comprehend the vast ignorance I encounter daily. When I inquire about it, it would appear that many have somewhat thin personal agendas. The most agressive responses are from those at the ‘top-of-heap’ – whatever that means. They simply expect more – as some form of right! They are all for ‘rights’, and f**k the responsibility or accountability!
Our current flock of ‘courageous leaders’ are in for a very nasty suprise: ungrowth will be the new paradigm. They have driven our economy (using a vehicle incapable of reversing) into a cul-de-sac. If you asked me; are they capable of alighting and pushing it back out?, I’d say no! But they will expect (even demand) that the preasant flock will do the pushing (whilst they stay inside!).
Will a Labour minister ‘jump ship’?
Brian.
@Brian Woods Snr
“ungrowth will be the new paradigm”
I meant to ask you some time ago if you had ever come across an organisation called Dark Mountain.
http://www.dark-mountain.net/
@Brian
They just don’t get it – that credit deposits is leveraged off a tiny money / energy base.
What can one say ?
The accounting is seriously flawed.
@PR: No, I had not. But saw a long piece in IT, put it to one side to read later. Thanks for the hat-tip.
That website looks somewhat apocryphal and surreal. Some high density urban areas (and heavily populated states) may indeed decay badly. But it will be a long, slow process. Hardly cataclysmic. Populations with water insecurity are most vunerable. Mid-east is teetering.
Ireland is possibly OK: being an island, and all. But that could change if the Gulf Stream current failed. Population would plummet in less than a generation.
Brian.
Will there be a lecture series about the banking crisis as well? Or is there nothing wrong in the banking system?
The banks must be fine & innocent in this as the focus (in this case, the headline) is never on them.