The Global Financial Crisis

On Monday 6 April, Warwick Business School hosted a one-day conference on the global financial crisis, co-sponsored by the Journal of International Money and Finance and organised by Professor Mark Taylor, Professor of International Finance and Macroeconomics at Warwick and a Managing Director at Barclays Global Investors.

Opening the conference, Professor Howard Thomas, Dean of Warwick Business School said, "Consumption, production, investment and employment have all been significantly affected. It is no exaggeration to say that there could be no more timely topic on which a business school could be hosting a conference".

The conference addressed the current threats to the global economic system as well as opportunities for reform of financial institutions and economic and financial policy going forward.

The event brought together leading international academics from universities including Warwick, Columbia and Johns Hopkins; financial market practitioners from major financial firms such as Barclays Global Investors and PIMCO; central bankers from the Bank of England, the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan and the Bank for International Settlements.

Commenting on the conference, Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel Thrift said: "The global financial crisis impacts upon everyone and dealing with it is the major challenge currently faced by world leaders. I'm pleased that Warwick is reaching out to practitioners and policy makers as well as top academics in order to contribute to the international policy debate."

There were nine formal presentations of research papers and speakers included:

• Naohiki Baba (Bank of Japan and Bank for International Settlements)
• Richard Clarida (Columbia and PIMCO)
• Marcel Fratzsher (European Central Bank)
• Andrew Sentance (Bank of England).

Professor Mark Taylor is also involved in the Warwick Commission on International Financial Reform, which will publish its recommendations in early Autumn 2009.