NEWS

Princeton professor and Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman is including FAU in his current teaching symposium. With more than one hundred people on the current waiting list, tickets to his lecture sold out in nearly one hour.

This Friday, Feb. 4, five hundred students and residents will fill the capacity of the University Theatre to hear “State of the Slump,” his take on the present global economic crisis.

“It’s definitely clear that people want to hear what he has to say,” said student Daniela Molina. “I’ve seen him on TV. He doesn’t hold anything back. He’s passionate, you know? I think that’s why people are so drawn to him.”

FAU was chosen to host the event partially to bring other prominent economists together, including Eric Chiang, associate professor of economics at FAU. He anticipated the public’s strong enthusiasm for the lecture.

“We fully expected the event to sell out quickly — the same has happened at all other campuses he has spoken at,” said Chiang. “Paul Krugman is one of the most famous economists in the world.”

At 55 years old, Krugman was the solitary recipient of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his academic research spanning back to 1979. Some of this includes his contributions to the New Trade Theory — a collection of economic models in international trade, the focus of his research.

However, Krugman still has his heavy critics, such as Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz and economics professor Daniel Klein, who called Krugman’s work “unbalanced” and “disgraceful.”

Regardless, there are many people who want to hear “State of the Slump,” and Chiang believes the public can take away a better understanding of economic recovery in the current global plummet.

“He will focus on various policies implemented or proposed by the government. Students can expect to gain a better understanding of how various policies affect the economy, and which might be most effective in promoting sustained economic growth,” said Chiang.

Feb. 4 will be Krugman’s first lecture at FAU, with no current plans to revisit in the near future.

“I’m definitely not missing it,” said Molina. “With a guy as well known as this … I can’t wait.”

More information:

“State of the Slump” is part of a teaching symposium on economic principles, sponsored by FAU and presented by Worth Publishers (through which Krugman has written a bestselling textbook). Krugman is coming to talk at FAU partly because its own Eric Chiang is one of Worth Publisher’s new lead authors.

Due to the overwhelming interest in the lecture, “State of the Slump” will be streamed live to the Office Depot Center, where the symposium is being held. There are about 160 seats in rooms 101, 102 and 103 at the Office Depot Center that will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis; admission is free.

Fun facts:

·      Appeared on television programs such as The Today Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time with Bill Maher, and The Daily Show

·      Known for his ongoing disapproval of President Barack Obama, George W. Bush and John McCain

·      Was a paid consultant for Enron

Achievements and awards:

·      B.A. from Yale University

·      Ph.D. from MIT

·      Author of 20 books and more than 200 papers in professional journals

·      Editor and Publisher Columnist of the Year

·      MIT’s Ford International Professor of Economics

·      The John Bates Clark Medal recipient

·      Alonso Prize recipient

·      Nikkei Prize recipient

·      Eccles Prize for Excellence in Economic Writing recipient