Office at the United Nations, New York

The United Nations University Office in New York is organizing a discussion as a part of the Current Affairs Series entitled "Too Big to Fail or Too Big to Bail?" with Dr. Robert Johnson, Economist, Braintruster and Current Director of the Economic Policy Initiative of the Roosevelt Institute, former Managing Director of Soros Fund Management and Chief Economist of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee.

Dr. Robert Johnson will address the issue of how to offset the moral hazard due to the existence of large systemically important banks which can be either "Too Big To Fail" or 'Too Big To Rescue". Must such problems be solved through smaller banks, capitals surcharges, more subsidies, and the separation of narrow from investment banking?

The United Nations University Office in New York (UNU-ONY) Current Affairs Series aims to address ongoing issues of relevance in the areas of international security, development and the environment. The goal is to bring up-to-date analysis on current events and crises by academics and policy makers who have firsthand knowledge and unique insights on the matters at hand. The programme's topics will also echo the items on the policy agenda of the UN and the UNU.

The date, venue and time of the event have been changed and the followings are the definitive ones:

Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Time:: 1.15 p.m. until 2.30 p.m., EDT GMT -5

Venue: Conference room 7, UN Headquarters, NY, New York

Lecturer Profile:

Dr. Robert Johnson, Economist and Current Director of the Economic Policy Initiative of the Roosevelt Institute.

Moderator Profile:

Dr. Jean-Marc Coicaud, Director, UNU-ONY.

Please register yourself to attend the event in person by clicking the following button:

If you are having trouble registering, please contact the office directly at (212) 963-6387 or e-mail Mr. Renato Giacon at giacon@unu.edu with the following information:

• Name
• Affiliation/Title (UN Secretariat, Permanent Mission, UN Agency, NGO/Foundation, Private Sector, Academic, Student, Other)
• Do you require a UN Security Pass?

Further information and background readings :

Bridge Loan to Nowhere.docx

Too big to fail FSA.pdf

Risky Business.docx

Volker speech.pdf

Too Big to Fail.docx

Ah, Wall Street. Seeing the real you at last, Rob johnson.docx

Too Big To Bail: The "Paulson Put", Presidential Politics, and the Global Financial Meltdown Part I

Too Big To Bail: The "Paulson Put," Presidential Politics, and the Global Financial Meltdown Part II

report of the Commission of experts on reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System.pdf

Dr. Robert Johnson is the Director of the Economic Policy Initiative at the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and is a regular contributor to NewDeal 2.0. He serves on the United Nations Commission of Experts on Finance and International Monetary Reform with Dr. Joseph Stiglitz, Dr. Jean-Paul Fitoussi and Mr. José Antonio Ocampo. Previously, Dr. Johnson was a Managing Director at Soros Fund Management, where he managed a global currency, bond and equity portfolio specializing in emerging markets. He was also a Managing Director at the Bankers Trust Company. Dr. Johnson has served as Former Chief Economist of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee under the leadership of Chairman William Proxmire and was Senior Economist of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee under the leadership of Chairman Pete Domenici. Dr. Johnson was an executive producer of "Taxi to the Dark Side," an Oscar-winning documentary produced and directed by Alex Gibney. Dr. Johnson is a member of the Development Advisory Board of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and is the former president of the National Scholastic Chess Foundation. He served on the Boards of the Democracy Alliance, The Institute for Americas Future, and the Brennan Center for Justice. He was formerly a partner in Impact Artist Management and President of Bottled MaJic Music, a recording label and music publishing enterprise. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Economic Policy Institute and the Institute for America's Future. Dr. Johnson received his Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from Princeton University and a B.S. in both Electrical Engineering and Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Jean-Marc Coicaud is the Director of the United Nations University (UNU) Office at the United Nations in New York. He was Senior Academic Officer at the UNU in Tokyo from 1996 to 2003. Before joining UNU, he served in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General as a speechwriter for Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992-1996). A former fellow at Harvard University (Center for International Affairs, Department of Philosophy and Harvard Law School, from 1986 to 1992), Coicaud has held appointments such as Cultural Attaché with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legislative Aide with the European Parliament (Financial Committee), Associate Professor at the University of Paris, Visiting Professor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure-Ulm in Paris and Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University School of Public Policy and Management. He has also taught at the New School for Social Research (New York). He has been a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace (Washington, D.C.) and a Global Research Fellow at New York University School of Law. Coicaud holds a Ph.D. in political science-law from the Sorbonne and a Doctorat d'Etat in philosophy from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques of Paris. In addition, he holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in literature and linguistics. Jean-Marc Coicaud is a member of the Advisory Board of Carnegie Council's Global Policy Innovations (New York). He also serves as an adviser for the Fondation pour l'Innovation Politique (Paris).

Jean-Marc Coicaud has published 14 books in the fields of comparative politics, political and legal theory, international relations and international law. They are available in English, French, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and Arabic, and include the following single-authored books: Politics and Legitimacy: A Contribution to the Study of Political Right and Political Responsibility (Cambridge University Press, 2002), Beyond the National Interest (United States Institute of Peace Press, 2007), Kokuren no Genkai/Kokuren no Mirai (Future of the UN/Limits of the UN - Fujiwara Shoten, 2007), Mai Xiang Guo Ji Fa Zhi (Towards the International Rule of Law - Sanlian Shudian, 2008). His latest book, co-edited with Hilary Charlesworth, is Fault Lines of International Legitimacy (Cambridge University Press, 2009).