This program sponsors research and public discussions on topics of current interest in macroeconomics, including the determinants of economic growth, explanations for recession and recovery, and the link between financial markets and economic performance. The current focus of the program's activities is the crisis in the U.S. financial markets. Program research on causes and consequences of household debt growth is forthcoming in the journal Capitalism and Society. Recent events include "Hindsight is Rarely 20:20 — Why the Unlearned Lessons of 'Control Fraud' Epidemics Produce Recurrent Financial Crises" and a public panel discussion "Financial Meltdown: Causes, Consequences, and Cures."

Faculty Associate

The program supports the research of faculty at Washington University and elsewhere on an interdisciplinary basis. The leader of this program is:

Professor Steven M. Fazzari is Associate Director of the Weidenbaum Center and Professor of Economics at Washington University in St. Louis. Professor Fazzari is a distinguished scholar on the financial determinants of investment, R&D spending by U.S. firms, and the foundations of Keynesian macroeconomics.