SOM to host conference on the ‘Future of Finance’

The International Center for Finance at the Yale School of Management will host a “Future of Finance” conference at Evans Hall Wednesday-Thursday, Sept. 9-10. The conference participants will discuss ways that finance can be used to address major social and economic issues.

“I think the ‘Future of Finance’ conference will be of very broad interest for people who are concerned about the future of our society and our economy,” said Sterling Professor of Economics and Nobel laureate Robert Shiller, one of the conference participants. “It’s also of particular interest to people who are involved in finance because it will cover things we can do to make finance, which is the cornerstone of our economy, into something more effective and more humane.”

The conference features a host of prominent Yale alumni in the fields of finance, economics, law, and public policy. Shiller will be joined by Wilbur L. Ross Jr. ’59, CEO and chair of WL Ross & Co.; Jane Mendillo ’80, SOM ’84, former president and CEO of Harvard Management Company; Paolo Zannoni M.A./M.Phil. ’87, partner at Goldman Sachs; and Roberta Romano J.D. ’80, Sterling Professor of Law and director of the Yale Law School Center for the Study of Corporate Law.

William Goetzmann, the Edwin J. Beinecke Professor and director of the International Center for Finance, said, “The ‘Future of Finance’ conference reflects Yale’s distinctive culture of intellectual engagement. Financial tools have been vital to the long-term progress of humankind. They are also essential to building a greater future. This conference is about sharing ideas about what finance can do to make the world a better place.”

A broad range of financial concepts within areas of risk management, behavioral finance, new types of financial instruments and markets, and regulatory policies will be discussed in terms of how they can be applied to solving social and economic issues. Significant research has been done in areas of poverty and economic inequality, education, health care, financial security for seniors, the environment, and crime among others, note the conference organizers.

Shiller commented on his vision for the conference, “I’m hoping to get a better sense of the moral purpose and future directions for the finance profession.”

The event is open to the extended Yale community and there are a limited number of seats available to the public. Attendees are required to register.