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Sichel Lecture Series puts spotlight on globalization

Sept. 21, 2007

KALAMAZOO--Six leading economists will explore globalization and its impact during the 44th Annual Werner Sichel Lecture-Seminar Series set to begin Wednesday, Sept. 26, at Western Michigan University.

The series will lead off with a talk by Dr. Kenneth Reinert, associate professor of public policy at George Mason University. Reinert's topic is titled "Globalization for Development?" All Sichel Series presentations are from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in 3508 Knauss Hall.

The recipient of the 2003 Distinguished Teaching Award, Reinert is a senior fellow at Trade Partnership World Wide and a research fellow at Rural Development Research Consortium. He has held the position of senior international economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission and is a former associate professor of economics at Kalamazoo College.

Reinert has published more than 45 journal articles and book chapters on international trade, economic development and environmental policy. He co-edited the books "Applied Methods of Trade Policy Analysis: A Handbook" and "Globalization for Development," and he wrote the 2005 book "Windows on the World Economy." He is the editor of the two-volume "Princeton Encyclopedia for the World Economy" by Princeton University Press.

Reinert also has served as a consultant for the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, the OECD Development Center and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Now in its 44th year, the series is named in honor of longtime WMU economics professor, Dr. Werner Sichel, who retired in 2004. The series is cosponsored by the W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

This year's series will focus on the challenges and opportunities of globalization and international development. All presentations are free and open to the public.

Globalization is primarily an economic phenomenon, but it has socio-cultural and political dimensions that significantly impact human welfare and development. The series' speakers will address various dimensions of globalization, including poverty, foreign aid, global justice, global financial flows, and patent and knowledge spillovers to developing countries.

In addition to lectures, each guest scholar will present an academic seminar for economics faculty and graduate students.

Other speakers in this year's Sichel Series, the date of their presentation and their topics are:

Oct. 24, Dr. Lisa D. Cook, an assistant professor with a joint appointment in economics and James Madison College at Michigan State University, will address "Patents and Knowledge Spillovers to Developing Countries."

Canceled: Dec. 5, Dr. Steven Radelet, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, will discuss "Foreign Aid: Wasting Money or Fighting Poverty?"

2008

Feb. 27, Dr. Hadi Saleh Esfahani, professor of economics at the University of Illinois, will focus on "Development Policy in a Globalizing World: New Perspectives on Options and Constraints."

March 26, Dr. Joseph Joyce, professor of economics at Wellesley College, will explore "Global Justice: An Economist's Perspective."

April 9, Dr. Linda Tesar, professor and chair of the economics department at the University of Michigan, will talk about "The Composition of Allocation of Global Financial Flows: What are Markets Doing?"

Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

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