Nobel Conference Xxxvi
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NOBEL CONFERENCE ® XXXVI Economic Prospects & Challenges October 3 & 4 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, Minnesota An Opportunity to Comp l ete E CO NOMIC SYSTEMS GRA DUATION STA N DA R D Wh e t her economics instr uction invol ves basic or advan c e d economic principles, Nobel Co n f er ence 2000 will provide a wor thwhile learning exp e r ience for students and tea c he r s . Add i t i o n a l l y, co nfer en c e - r el a t ed act ivities offer students an op p o r tunity to compl e t e the Economic Systems gra d u a t i o n stan d a r d. Sugges ted ideas are described brie f ly in thi s br oc hu r e. This is not a “one-size-fits-all” pres c r ip tion, and tea c her adaptation is not only assumed but exp e c t ed as tea c he r s tak e ownership and make the necessary adjustments to fit the needs of their stu d e n t s . NOBEL Telephone 507/933-7520 CONFERENCE E-mail [email protected] About Nobel Conference The closing decades of the twen t i e t h century brought momentous and surpr ising cha n g es to the wor ld ’ s economic and political landscape. The sudden but quiet collapse of the Soviet U nion spelled the apparent demise of an alter na t i v e to mar ket capitalism that seemed to some for a time to promise a superior system, and for even longer at least a workable one. This event coincided with and encouraged a major change in thinking around the world concerning models for economic development. And in the world’s developed nations, there has been heightened commitment to and movement toward greater economic integration and free trade. These events taken together amount to much of what has come to be called “globalization.” A world of in c r ea s i n g ly inter dependent and highly compe t i t i v e global capitalism seems upon us. Power ful economic insti t u t i o n s , such as The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, have been active in policy formulation and as s i s tance in this transition. Gover nments in the Americas, Europe, and Asia have undertak en ver y prof ound initiatives towar d economic integration and much freer trade. And the “Asian model” of export-driven de velopment has become the most widely accepted vision of a path to successful development. All of this has not occurred wit hout cost or controversy, as recent events in Seattle and Washington, DC, attest. Co n c e r ns for the envi r onment, for economic eq ui t y , for economic and cultural diver s i t y have been voiced, often wit h force and passion. There is much concern and confusion about just what this new “global” era will mean. Even among those who greet this transition with optimism and enthusiasm, there is debate about important practical questions of implementation s trategy. A panel of extraordinarily diverse views and unsurpassed experience and expertise will examine these issues at Nobel Conference® XXXVI, a conference which promises to be one of the most important examinations of the nature and consequences of “globalization” to have yet occurred. David Reese Associate Professor of Economics and Management Chair, Nobel Conference® XXXVI Nobel Conference Participants Robert A. Mundell, 1999 Alfred Nobel Memorial Pr ize Joseph E. Stiglitz, The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC in Economic Sciences, Columbia University (former chief economist with The World Bank) Does A Global Economy Need A Global Currency? Lecture topic to be announced. Jagdish N. Bhagwati, Columbia University Globalization and Appropriate Governance Jeffr ey D. Sachs, Harvard University New Approaches to Helping the Poorest of the Poor in the Global Economy Michael Sohlman, Executive Director, John B. Cobb Jr., Center for Process Studies, The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden Claremont, California Globalization –– Some Reflections of A Practitioner The Stake of Christian Theology in Economic Globalization Amitai Etzioni, George Washington University, Washington, DC The Future of the Global Community Teacher and Student Participation To be sure students understand the issues addressed at Nobel Conference 2000, a certain amount of learni n g should tak e place prior to or fol l o wing the confer ence. Ideally, students will have been introduced to top i c s li k e ab s o l u t e a dvan t ag e, compa r at i v e a dvan t ag e, ba r rie r s to tra de, benefits to trade, inter national a spect of growt h and stab i l i t y , exchange rates and the balance of payments before the conf erence. Ho wever , the confer en c e can serve to introduce these topics wit h tea c hers expanding upon t hem later . This is an excellent opportunity to bring economic theory alive for students. Materials authored by Paul Peterson, economics teacher St. Peter High School, St. Peter, Minnesota Preparation for Nobel Conference Students should visit the Nobel Conference Web site <www.gustavus.edu/nobel> which includes speaker biogra p h i c a l in f or ma t i o n , conference bibliography, an article by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, and economic principles to be discussed. Classes share findings through small-group presentations. Students should read and analyz e se l e c t ed arti c l e s / cha p t ers from publications li s ted in the confer ence bi b l i o g ra p h y. Writing exer cises can satisfy components of the gra d u a t i o n standard (see Student Per for mance #3). Tea c hers can crea t e student discover y lessons in which students gather infor mation to better understand inter na t i o n a l or ga n i z a t i o n s (see ref er en c e Web sites below). Student pr es e n t ations at the conclusion of these lessons can satisfy co m - ponents of the graduation stan d a rd (see Student Per for mance #2). European Union europa.eu.net International Monetary Fund www.imf.org Organization for Economic Cooperation/Development www.oecd.org United Nations www.un.org The World Bank www.worldbank.org World Trade Organization www.wto.org EconomicsAmerica* www.economicsamerica.org * Site provides numerous on-line lessons related to Nobel Conference® XXXVI. At Nobel Conference Students can maintain a conference journal containing lecture information, reflections, questions and comments for subsequent classroom panel discussions. Completed journals can satisfy co m ponents of the graduation stan d a r d (see Stu d e n t Per for mance #1). Students can crea t e and defend a position paper exam i n i n g various components of globalization with specific examples and analyses from the conference. This activity can satisfy components of the graduation stan d a r d (see Stu d e n t Per for mance #4). Economics Graduation Standard Specifications and Student Performances Standard Specifications Student Performance #2 Content Standard Economic systems Globalization at Nobel Conference Learning Area Business and economics Students seek information about Nobel Conference topics Education Level High school through an on-line scavenger hunt. Teachers provide pertinent topics to investigate along with applicable Web addresses. Using fundamental concepts of economics, a student shall Students present their f indings in a large-group setting and demonstrate understanding of the interactive nature of global, develop questions to be answered during the Nobel national, and local economic systems, how gover nment decisions Conference. Student performance can satisfy C and D of the Economic Systems graduation standard. im pact those systems, and how individuals, households, businesses, and governments use scarce resources to satisfy unlimit ed wants Evidence of student learning and needs by: Notes Questions A. Analyzing a public issue in terms of production, distri- bution and consumption. Notes/Questions Checklist _____ Notes contain detailed descriptions of economic topics. B. Analyzing how change in the economy affects individu- _____ Notes directly relate to globalization. als, households, businesses, government, and the _____ Notes thoroughly examine the relationship of environment. environmental, g lobal, and domestic concerns. C. Explaining how lack of productive resour ces impacts _____ Questions reflect understanding of global and decisions concerning production and distribution of domestic t opics presented at the Nobel Conference. goods and services. Student Performance #3 D. Examining how domestic and global economic systems interact. Nobel Conference Reading Review E. Co m pa r ing rules and proc e d u r es of differ ent economic Students read three published works by Nobel presenters or sy stem s by examining the effect on supply, demand, other appropriate sources and create a short role-play interview in which one student is an economics reporter, and another is ca p i t al, prices, roles of institutions, and natural res o u r ce s . the author of the reading. Interviews include the subs tance of the articles and the authors’ opinion on globalization. Based Student Performance #1 on the role-play interview, students write br ief summaries. Student perfor mance can satisfy D of the Economic Systems Nobel Conference — Issues and Analysis graduation standard. Students choose one of the economic issues recorded in their conference journal, analyze information regarding the issue, Evidence of student learning and for m a panel with other students to present the infor ma t i o n Role-play interview to the class.