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Past Event

A Brookings Institution and International Monetary Fund Event

The Housing Crisis and Lessons for Monetary Policy

Housing, International Monetary Fund, Fiscal Policy, Global Economics, Global Finance

Event Summary

Recent global financial turbulence has shown how innovations in housing finance have altered the role of the housing sector in the business cycle. That, in turn, has affected the ways that monetary policy might respond to related economic developments. Against this backdrop, it is important to examine the monetary tools that can help stabilize economies and respond effectively to changes in housing prices, in times of global financial stress.

Event Information

When

Monday, April 21, 2008
11:30 AM to 1:00 PM

Where

Falk Auditorium
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Directions

Event Materials

Contact: Brookings Office of Communications

E-mail: events@brookings.edu

Phone: 202.797.6105

On April 21, the Brookings Institution and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) hosted a presentation of recent cross-country IMF research on the housing sector and monetary policy, as released in the April 2008 World Economic Outlook. Simon Johnson, IMF economic counselor and director of the Research Department, presented the report’s findings with IMF Senior Economist Roberto Cardarelli, who was the report’s lead author. Brookings Senior Fellow Douglas Elmendorf shared insight from the recent U.S. experience and Lael Brainard, vice president and director of Global Economy and Development, moderated the discussion.

Transcript

LAEL BRAINARD: The recent turmoil in global financial markets, which many believe was driven by problems in the pricing of risk in the subprime market, has been the most, perhaps, obvious example of how innovations in housing finance over the last quarter century may have altered the role of the housing sector in the business cycle. Of course, then that raises some questions about whether and can and how policymakers should respond.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding these topics right now. It is, of course, of great relevance because policymakers here and internationally are grappling with precisely the set of issues that emanated out of these innovations in the subprime market. And so, the topic that we’re going to discuss today is front and center on international policymakers.

Participants

Introduction and Moderator

Lael Brainard

Vice President and Director, Global Economy and Development

Featured Speakers

Roberto Cardarelli

Senior Economist, International Monetary Fund

Douglas W. Elmendorf

Senior Fellow, Economic Studies

Simon Johnson

Economic Counselor and Director, Research Department, International Monetary Fund

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