2026
On Friday, February 6, the Brookings Economic Studies program will convene an event to examine the relationship between supply-side factors and inflation, both in recent years and what might be expected going forward.
The event will begin with a presentation from Peter Orszag, chief executive officer of Lazard and former director of the Office of Budget and Management under the Obama administration. He will then take questions from Wendy Edelberg, senior fellow in Economic Studies.
Following Orszag’s presentation, two panels will discuss how our understanding of the dynamics of supply-side factors and inflation applies to future supply shocks, including how policymakers can develop tools for mitigating the effects of supply shocks on inflation and how those are different from the tools used to mitigate the effects of demand shocks.
The event will culminate with keynote remarks from Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip N. Jefferson. After his remarks, Jefferson will take questions from David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy at Brookings.
Online viewers can pose questions in advance by emailing [email protected].
Agenda
-
February 6
-
Welcome and introduction
-
Presentation and fireside chat
-
Panel: Inflation and supply chains, supply constraints, trade shocks, and productivity shocks
Saroj Bhattarai Associate Professor - University of Texas at Austin
Ellen Hughes-Cromwick Senior Visiting Fellow, Climate and Energy - Third Way
Robert Johnson Brian and Jeannelle Brady Associate Professor - University of Notre DameModerator
Elaine Buckberg Visiting Scholar - The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University, Lecturer on Environmental Science and Public Policy - Harvard University -
Panel: Housing supply, shelter inflation, and monetary policy
Neil R. Mehrotra Assistant Vice President and Policy Advisor - Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis @neilmehrotra
Gabriel Chodorow-Reich George Fisher Baker Professor of Economics - Harvard University @gchodorowreich -
Keynote
Philip N. Jefferson Vice Chair - Federal ReserveModerator
David Wessel Director - The Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, Senior Fellow - Economic Studies @davidmwessel
-