Political conflict and fiscal crises in the United States and Europe have spurred concerns about policy-related uncertainty and its economic effects. Recent uncertainty-generating episodes in the United States include the partisan battles over the Bush-era tax cuts in late 2010, the debt-ceiling dispute in the summer of 2011, last-minute resolution of the so-called fiscal cliff in the early hours of 2013, recent implementation of the federal spending sequester, and another looming fight over the federal debt ceiling.

This conference explored research on the topic of uncertainty and its economic effects through measurement, modeling, and evaluation of empirical evidence. 

ORGANIZERS

• Steven J. Davis, University of Chicago Booth School of Business

• Lars Peter Hansen, University of Chicago

SPEAKERS

• Kevin Hassett, American Enterprise Institute

• Simon Gilchrist, Boston University

• Gilbert Metcalf, Tufts University

• Nolan Mccarty, Princeton University

• Ked Hogan, Blackrock Global Market Strategies Group

• Nuno Limão, University of Maryland

• Kyle Handley, University of Michigan

• Stan Veuger, American Enterprise Institute

More information here

The conference is part of a research project funded by the MacArthur Foundation. It is cosponsored by the Becker Friedman Institute and the Urban Institute.