The Great Debate

The post-bubble world: what’s next?

The American Enterprise Institute is hosting a panel with Nouriel Roubini and Reuters contributor Chris Whalen on “living in the post-bubble world: what’s next?” It is being livestreamed today from 2pm – 4pm ET. You can watch the video of it here:

From AEI’s website:

Americans are living in the wake of the great credit bubble of the twenty-first century. They have experienced the crisis of its collapse, massive increases in government intervention and debt, and now more uncertainty. What’s next? Are we in for a long slog, or will the economy rebound? What will happen to housing prices, mortgage defaults, commercial real estate, the banking system, and post-bubble Europe? Will we have defaults on sovereign debt? Deflation? How big will the Fed’s balance sheet get? What steps should be taken now? These and related questions will be discussed by our panel of economic and financial experts.

The debate is moderated by AEI fellow and former president and chief executive officer of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Alex J. Pollock. Other panelists are:

Mark Fogarty, National Mortgage News Desmond Lachman, AEI John H. Makin, AEI Thomas Zimmerman, UBS Investment Bank

Global crisis politics – A Davos debate with Nouriel Roubini and Ian Bremmer

Andrew MacGregor Marshall

Jan 28, 2009 08:35 EST

As governments grapple with the global crisis, politics has taken on central importance in determining the course of the world economy — and political risk is more significant than ever.

Two leading experts on the financial crisis and its political dimensions — Nouriel Roubini and Ian Bremmer — gave exclusive answers this week to Reuters questions on the key risks for 2009 and beyond, and the countries to watch.

Roubini is professor at the Stern School, New York University and chairman of economic forecasting consultancy RGE Monitor. He is widely credited as one of the few leading economists to forecast the onset of the crisis and its implications. Bremmer is president of political risk consultancy Eurasia group, and co-author of the forthcoming book “”The Fat Tail: The Power of Political Knowledge for Strategic Investing”

In which countries do political and economic risks intersect most ominously in 2009?

Bremmer – I would start with the United States. How U.S. policymakers respond to the meltdown of the U.S. economy hugely affects both the global financial crisis itself and much of the associated political risk. The politics are especially worrisome because the new Congress will likely wrestle with the White House for control in several key policy areas.

In Congress, members of both political parties have complained that the legislative branch ceded too much policy authority to the executive branch over the past eight years. The new Congress wants that power back. The Democratic leadership now enjoys large majorities in both the House (257-178) and the Senate (probably 59-41). Feeling empowered, even Democratic senior lawmakers won’t always wait on the inexperienced young president to set the agenda. That dynamic creates even greater risks than usual that policy will become a product of political horse-trading rather than coherent economic analysis.

Elsewhere, the economic and the political fronts are colliding to generate turmoil and risk. In Russia, the financial crisis has slowed the economy and put downward pressure on the ruble, reducing the purchasing power of ordinary Russians. The government has had to spend down significant amounts of its considerable financial reserves. There is anxiety about the health of Russian banks. Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev remain popular and fully in charge — for now.