Leszek Balcerowicz, former Finance Minister and President of the National Bank of Poland, Credit: Jan Mehlich
Writer
A student led economics conference will be held at the University of Glasgow between 11 and 12 March 2017. The Glasgow Economic Forum (GEF) will welcome prominent academics from around the world for the third year in a row.
GEF aim to “learn more about economics outside of textbooks.” The organisation has grown exponentially in its three years of running, with over 200 attendees at last year’s Forum.
This year’s theme is “Means or an End? Perspectives on Economic Growth.” The two day conference will include keynote speeches, discussion panels and a variety of seminars. GEF has confirmed speakers from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), The New School in New York City and a wide range of academic institutions. Guests attending the event include Anwar Shaikh, economist from New York, and Professor Leszek Balcerowicz, former Finance Minister and President of the National Bank of Poland. Other speakers include Dr. Daniel O’Neill, Dr. Frank Conway, Professor Guido Hülsmann and Guy Standing.
Iva Parvanova, Academic Team Leader for GEF, believes the number of credible academics attending the event demonstrates the growth of the organisation. She states, “We are also delighted to have Shaun Reidy, the acting head of the Inclusive Growth Unit for the OECD, to give the closing Keynote on Sunday.”
The Saturday evening of the conference will allow an opportunity for attendees to socialise with the speakers. Julia Bambach, Marketing Team Leader of GEF, states that, “This is a very unique networking opportunity… We really place emphasis on this social, friendly component which really sets us apart from other conferences of this kind. We want to ensure that an atmosphere of constructive debate is created – a proper forum in the Ancient Roman tradition where people can engage with each other.”
Bambach describes the aim of the organising team as being to design the conference in a manner that makes it as approachable as possible. She states, “We made the deliberate decision to offer single day tickets to really give our attendees the choice in attending whichever day interests them most. Plus, our parallel seminars and panel discussions really provide the opportunity to explore certain topics in-depth rather than just scratching the surface.”
Parvanova adds, “We tried to make the conference as interdisciplinary as possible… The purpose is to both learn something and have fun.”
The organisation requires new students to join every year, with roles including Finance, Marketing, Academics and Logistics. Parvanova states that although the conference involves the students to put in time and dedication, the speakers that attend the events make it worthwhile. He adds, “We encourage everyone who has an interest in economics to join the organising team next year.”
Tickets may be purchased at £7 for a single day, or at £10 to attend both days. To find tickets and the schedule for the Forum, visit the links below.
The schedule may be viewed here.
