Dates February (dates vary) Years active 15 Next event 2018 | Frequency Annual Inaugurated 2002 | |
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Location(s) University of Warwick, UK | ||
The Warwick Economics Summit (abbreviated as WES) is one of the largest student-run conference in Europe, run annually at the University of Warwick. Past Summits have aimed to address issues covering a range of disciplines, including economics, development, politics and international relations. The event attracts students and visitors from all over the UK and across the world and has hosted talks from many high-profile speakers, including serving Cabinet Ministers and multiple Nobel Laureates in the field of Economics.
Contents
2000s
The Warwick Economics Summit began in 2002 with an audience of 170 students. Early editions of the Summit saw Johannes Linn of the World Bank and Dr. Lopez-Claros from the IMF take to the stage. In 2005, 500 attended the Summit as it welcomed its first Nobel Laureate, Professor John F. Nash.
By 2006, the Summit had welcomed Vince Cable to the University. Delegates heard from British economists John Kay and Paul Omerod, as well as Dr. Kori Udovicki, Assistant Secretary General of the UN. The 2009 edition focused on policy makers and central bankers with Kate Barker, a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee as well as Professor Ewald Nowotny, Governor of the Austrian National Bank.
2010
Then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alastair Darling spoke. The Summit hosted Marek Belka, the Head of the National Bank of Poland as a standalone talk.
2011
The Summit hosted speakers from the world of economics, but also from media such as Tim Harford and the notorious rogue trader, Nick Leeson.
2012
The 2012 Summit was the second to welcome a Nobel Laureate in Professor George Akerlof – but it was Adam Posen of the Bank of England's MPC who attracted the attention of the press. Other speakers included Professor Steven E. Landsburg (bestselling author of The Armchair Economist), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria) and Rufus Yerxa (Deputy Director-General of the WTO).
2013
During the 2013 Summit, Vince Cable the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills returned to the lineup. There was representation by the Bank of England through Andrew Bailey and Martin Weale, who made headlines with his call for a weaker pound to aid the recovery. The event also featured Andrew Oswald (Professor of Economics, Warwick), Sir Bob Kerslake (Head of the British Civil Service) and Supachai Panitchpakdi (Secretary General of UNCTAD).
2014
The 2014 Summit, saw Warwick University host Professor Eric Maskin as the keynote speaker, the third Nobel Laureate to date. Other speakers included Diane Coyle, Victoria Chick, Nasser Saidi, Gerard Lyons, Ann Pettifor, Ian Goldin, Richard Lambert and Luke Johnson.
2015
In 2015, the Summit had a strong focus on international institutions with Vítor Constâncio from the ECB, Zhu Min from the IMF, Dermot Nolan, the CEO of OFGEM and Athanasios Orphanides; the former governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus. Speakers also included Partha Dasgupta, Jan Vincent Rostowski and Simon Anholt.
2016
The 2016 Summit featured prominent academics with the likes of Nobel Laureate Sir James Mirrlees and Nicholas Crafts, as well as political leaders Enrico Letta and Jean-François Copé. Also featured were Michael Møller, Scott Sumner and Mark Littlewood.
2017
In 2017, the Summit featured a range of academics and policymakers. Fed Vice-Chairman Stanley Fischer, in a widely-covered speech, made headlines with his comments on the Trump administration’s fiscal policy and plans for financial regulation. The Summit also welcomed its fifth Nobel Laureate in Prof. Finn Kydland, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs (from Columbia University through video conference), FT Chief Economics Commentator Martin Wolf and Former Prime Minister of Benin Lionel Zinsou.