EPS is pleased to announce a series of symposia examining various aspects of the economic crisis. These four workshops, co-sponsored by the New America Foundation and funded by Bernard Schwartz and the Initiative for Re-thinking the Economy, will take place in Washington DC over the next few months. The first of the four will take place November 11. Dates and programs for the other three are still in the works.

• Banking and the Dollar: toward global reform, November 11, Ronald Reagan Building
• Rebuilding America: infrastructure, energy, climate change and the technological future
• Rethinking Security: economic and social, national and international
• Crisis Macroeconomics: forecasting, budgeting, and planning in extreme situations

All EPS events at the AEA/ASSA (American Economics Association/Allied Social Sciences Associations) meetings this year will be on Monday, January 4 in the Hilton Atlanta.

January 4, 8:00am, Hilton Atlanta, Grand Salon B, Session One:
Global Financial Crises: Past, Present and Future

Session Chair: Allen Sinai
• Mario Draghi, Governor, Bank of Italy, “Financial Reform after the Financial Crisis”
• Michael Intriligator, University of California at Los Angeles and Milken Institute, “The Financial Crisis of 2007-09: Causes, Consequences, Lessons”
• Simon Johnson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Global Financial Crisis: Over, or Just Beginning?”
• Allen Sinai, Decision Economics, Inc., “Financial Crises in Historical Context and Future Prospects”
• Joseph Stiglitz, Columbia University, “What Went Wrong and What Can Go Right?”

January 4, 2:30pm, Hilton Atlanta, Room 201, Session Two:
Planning and Designing a Sustainable Economic Future 

The global economic crisis is far from over, and transcending it requires the construction of a new global economic and financial system, not a revival of the structure that has collapsed.  That is the provocative conclusion of the Working Group on Financial and Monetary Issues, sponsored by Economists for Peace and Security (EPS) and the Initiative for Rethinking the Economy (IRE).  This committee of leading economic thinkers from the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America met in Paris to discuss and debate the global crisis on June 15 and 16, 2009.  The working group's verdict:

"In brief conclusion, the group of experts convened in Paris in June warns that the crisis is not over, that policies so far set in motion are not sufficient, and that the goals set by the authorities so far, which amount to a restoration of previous conditions, are neither desirable nor possible. It is time now to begin to take account of the irreversible characteristics of recent events, to chart a course of new construction instead of reconstruction, and to build the domestic and financial monetary institutions and safeguards necessary to make it possible to pursue that course."

The summary of the discussion and conclusions, by James K. Galbraith, is now at http://www.epsusa.org/projects/crisisworkinggroups/financewhitepaper09.pdf

• Appoint a single investigator. This individual must have a proven record of exposing fraudulent elites and institutions, and must provide a professional, non-political spirit to the investigation.
• Afford no special treatment. No one is off-limits or gets special protection in the investigation.
• Provide the tools to do the job. The investigator must be given ample budget and time, full subpoena authority, and the ability to hire and fire staff.

To read the letter and/or become a signer, please visit http://www.whatcausedthecrisis.com/.

Congratulations to Jurgen Brauer on the publication of his new book, War and Nature: The Environmental Consequences of War in a Globalized World.

The inherent dangers of war zones constrain even the most ardent researchers, with the consequence that little has been known for certain about the effects of war on stable environments. War and Nature sifts through the available data from past wars to evaluate the actual impact that combat has on natural surroundings. Examining conflicts of various kinds — the long war in tropical Vietnam, the relatively brief and highly technical wars in the Persian Gulf, and various civil wars in Africa and South-Central Asia fought with small arms — Brauer asks whether differences in technology, location, and duration are critical in causing environmental and humanitarian harm. A number of unexpected conclusions are drawn from this data, including practical agendas for collecting scientific evidence in future wars and suggestions about what the world's environmental and conservation organizations can do. One thing War and Nature does is to show us how globalization can be a force harnessed for good ends.

http://www.altamirapress.com/Catalog/Flyer2.shtml?SKU=0759112061

Volume 4, No. 2 of the Economics of Peace and Security Journal is now available online. Non-subscribers can access the abstracts and contents pages. This issue contains symposia on defense innovation and the economics of conflict:

• Theory of regional stability as a public good: examples from Southern Africa by Fungisai Nota
• The assassin and the donor as third players in the traditional deterrence game by Lisa J. Carlson and Raymond Dacey
• Economics of intolerance and social conflict by Partha Gangopadhyay
• A new arms race? The political economy of maritime military modernization in the Asia-Pacific by Richard A. Bitzinger
• The Sino-Japanese energy dispute in the East China Sea: strategic policy, economic opportunities, and cooperation by James Manicom
• Regime building in the Malacca and Singapore straits: two steps forward, one step back by Sam Bateman
• European analogies for a liberal peace in Northeast Asia by Brendan Howe

EPS members receive a 25% discount on the annual subscription to the Economics of Peace and Security Journal. Regular one-year subscriptions are $40 per year; for EPS members the one-year subscription is $30.

The Journal is a peer-reviewed online publication hosted by EPS-UK. Published twice yearly, it raises and debates all issues related to the political economy of personal, communal, national, international, and global peace and security. Joseph Stiglitz, James Galbraith, and Lawrence Klein have been previous contributors. The Journal’s website also includes book reviews submitted by members and subscribers.

For more information about the Journal or to subscribe, visit http://www.epsjournal.org.uk/.

To become a member of EPS (and to qualify for the subscription discount) visit http://www.epsusa.org/membership/membership.htm.

The Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Amsterdam and the Flemish/Dutch chapter of Economists for Peace and Security (EPS) are honored to announce the winners of the 2008 Isaac Roet Prize. EPS congratulates Ms. Marijke Geerts, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Mr. Paul Duffill, The University of Sydney, Australia for their winning essays. The topic of this seventh edition of the Prize was Resource Access and World Peace: Policies to Promote Global Stability in View of Growing Scarcity of Non-renewable Natural Resources.

The 2008 Isaac Roet Prize jury members :

• James K. Galbraith, Chair of EPS and professor at University of Texas
• Jurgen Brauer, Vice chair of EPS and professor at Augusta State University
• Cor A.J. Herkströter, professor at University of Amsterdam and former CEO of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies
• Henk Jager, professor at University of Amsterdam
• Haim Roet, Secretary-General of the Israeli Foundation for Quality Management
• Joseph E. Stiglitz, Professor at Columbia University, Nobel Laureate and Trustee of EPS

The prize of Euro 5,000 will be shared by the two winners. More information about the prize and judging can be found at http://www.epseu.org/isaacroetprize/competition2008.html.

The Global Peace Index 2009 was released in early June. The report this year includes research and analyses from EPS on the economic value of peace (starting on page 30 of the discussion paper). In this, its third year of publication, the Index reports New Zealand and the Scandinavian countries again rank as the most peaceful nations, with Iraq and Sudan at the bottom of the list.

http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/results/rankings.php
http://www.visionofhumanity.org/images/content/GPI-2009/2009-GPI-DiscussionPaper-20090525.pdf

To celebrate the 2009 International Day of Peace, Peace X Peace presents the We Won’t Wait for Peace Virtual Film Festival. Four documentaries on women and peacebuilding, presenting unique perspectives and new solutions, bring urgency to women's inclusion in peace and conflict resolution dialogues. The series kicks off with the award-winning documentary Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines, followed on the next three dates by Beyond Belief, Soldiers of Peace, and Unusual Pairs: Elana & Ibtisam. Each feature film will be broadcast free of charge to a global audience, and will be followed by a panel discussion with producers, other key staff, and people featured in the films.

http://reductiondesign.com/wp-content/clients/pxp/sent/film_festival.html

The INES campaign “Scientists for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World” was launched successfully on August 6th, 2009 (Hiroshima Day). Forty-eight first signatories, 31 of them Nobel Laureates, supported the campaign and gave it a remarkable start. For at least 25 years, there has been no comparable campaign supported by so many prominent members of the scientific community and beyond.

The INES campaign "Scientists for a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World" is, at its core, a petition representing scientists and engineers from across the globe. Its goal is to increase scientific as well as public awareness on nuclear weapons issues, and to add weight to calls for a Nuclear Weapons Convention conferring the obligation on all states to achieve complete nuclear disarmament by 2020. A nuclear weapons-free world is possible, realistic, necessary and urgent - but it will not be attained without the efforts of a large number of committed scientists and engineers.

http://www.inesglobal.com/scientists-for-a-nuclear-weapons-free-world.phtml

The United Nations Mandated University for Peace (UPEACE) is preparing to launch the UPEACE Law Review, a journal of legal scholarship dedicated to analyzing and exploring issues related to international, human rights, and humanitarian law.  They are currently assembling a peer review board and seek interested and qualified experts to serve as editors for the UPEACE Law Review.

All are invited to apply to join the editorial board, and encouraged to pass the invitation to other qualified parties who may be interested. They are looking for scholars of law or law practitioners with broad backgrounds in international, human rights, or humanitarian law to conduct anonymous peer review and (if needed) engage in dynamic revision of scholarly or legal articles. After the peer review process, editors will make final recommendations to the Review as to whether a given article meets all necessary standards for publication in the UPEACE Law Review.

If interested please forward your resume/CV to ijalkanen@student.upeace.org

The next workshop of the Network for the Economic Analysis of Terrorism (NEAT) will be held in Brussels on October 19, 2009. In addition to a series of presentations on the latest economic research into terrorism and counter-terrorism, this workshop will feature a special session on the link between terrorism and development, as well as an impact analysis of terrorist attacks on public transport networks.

Registration is open until Monday, September 28th, and attendance is free of charge. Space is, however, limited.

http://www.economics-of-security.eu/sites/default/files/NEAT_Invitation_Program_Map.pdf

Call for papers: Eurasian Peace Science Conference, January 8 – 9, 2010 at Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey. The Conference's goal is to broaden cooperation among Eurasian and Middle Eastern peace science scholars and seeks to bring together research on conflict and peace-related topics from throughout the world.

All aspects of the peace science field are welcome including in particular: (a) empirical studies of political violence and peaceful resolution, (b) quantitative and formal analyses of conflict and peace processes, (c) peace science methodology and theory, (d) alliances, investment, trade, and conflict, (e) economic and political causes of war and terrorism, (f) contemporary regional conflicts in Eurasia and Middle East, (g) security and foreign policy, and (h) conflict analysis and management.

All submissions with tentative titles, abstracts (150-300 words) and contact information for authors should be sent to Eurasiaps@ku.edu.tr.

Call for papers: Climate Change, Social Stress and Violent Conflict State of the Art and Research Needs International Conference, November 19 — 20, 2009 in Hamburg, Germany. Possible topics:

• Empirical basis of linkages between environmental stress and violent conflict, revisiting the debate on violent reactions to resource scarcity
• Empirical basis of past climate change and prediction of climate futures, in the context of potential effects on humans that might possibly cause conflicts, in particular water and food scarcity, migration, disasters
• Conceptual approaches and contributions of academic disciplines to understanding causal effects, cascading potential and tipping points in climate-security interactions
• Impacts and conflicts associated with response strategies to address climate change, such as nuclear power, bioenergy, geo-engineering, disaster management.
• Security concepts and their relations to climate change and violent conflict, connecting to the “securitization” discourse
• Regional case studies of climate-induced security risks and conflicts: Sahel zone and Darfur, Middle East, Southern Asia, Central Asia, Latin America, Mediterranean, Arctic
• Mechanisms and institutions for addressing climate security challenges and opportunities for strengthening international cooperation and peace

For more information please contact Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran, Research Group Climate Change and Security, KlimaCampus, Universität at juergen.scheffran@zmaw.de or visit http://www.klimacampus.de/fileadmin/campus-intern/dokumente/Veranstaltungen/Conference_Climate_Conflict_Call_for_Papers.pdf

For more information, please visit www.bepress.com/peps

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is seeking a Programme Leader for the SIPRI Armed Conflict and Conflict Management Programme. The successful candidate will lead and manage a team to conceive, design and implement research and capacity-building projects relating to armed conflicts and the efforts to prevent, manage and resolve conflict. The Programme Leader will apply her/his academic and/or policy related experience, strong analytical capabilities, and demonstrated leadership skills on these issues to lead and motivate Programme staff to develop and fund innovative proposals and deliver world-class programmes and research, while also working synergistically with other SIPRI Programmes.  She/he will be strongly encouraged to actively publish, and to take advantage of SIPRI's world-class editorial and publishing team and their relationship with Oxford University Press. The Programme Leader will have an important role as part of the SIPRI senior leadership team.  Most importantly, the Programme Leader will have the exceptional opportunity to build from the strengths, networks, and global reputation already in place for SIPRI and the Programme to establish one of the strongest programmes on armed conflict and conflict management in Europe and the world.

http://www.sipri.org/about/vacancies/leader_conflictprogramme

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund is seeking a Program Officer for its Peace and Security program. Through its grantmaking, the Fund supports efforts to expand knowledge, clarify values and critical choices, nurture creative expression, and shape public policy. The Program Director will manage the development and direction of the Peace and Security Program, including the refining of program goals and strategies. The Program Director reports to the Vice President for Programs.

http://www.rbf.org/about/about_show.htm?doc_id=963381&cat_id=1642

oikos is an international student organization for sustainable economics and management. The annual oikos Student Entrepreneurship Award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurial student projects in the field of Higher Education for Sustainable Development that had a proven and visible impact in the field of Sustainable Campus or Curricula Change. An international award jury selects the projects. In 2009, the award honors projects in two tracks: Curricula Change and Sustainable Campus. Deadline for applications is September 30, 2009.

http://www.oikos-international.org/en/projects/award/award-2009.html

A conference entitled The Financial Crisis, the US Economy, and International Security in the New Administration was held at the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, New School University, New York, New York on Friday, November 14, 2008. The conference was organized by Economists for Peace and Security, the Charles Leopold Mayer Foundation Initiative for Re-thinking the Economy, and the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. To see the video and transcripts from the conference visit http://www.epsusa.org/events/08conf/program.htm.

The Initiative for Re-thinking the Economy also has a webpage devoted the conference at http://www2.i-r-e.org/spip.php?article51.

Space, Security and the Economy, a report on the Bush Administration’s outer space policy, warns that the present policy of space dominance could transform outer space into a military battleground.

Official US policy asserts the right to deny any nation access to space if its actions are “perceived” to be hostile. This policy, together with other actions such as withdrawal from the ABM treaty and the ongoing development of weapons intended to attack objects in space, could lead to the deployment of weapons in space. If the US stations weapons in space, with other nations likely to follow, it will lead to an arms race in space.

Among other consequences would be negative effects on the growing scientific and commercial uses of space, and on the economy. In particular, private investors would be unlikely to place additional resources at risk in a vulnerable area of potential military conflict. The report concludes that no one can prevail, and all stand to lose, in an arms race in space.

The report calls for changes in the policy of space dominance, greater transparency in military space spending, and detailed information about government and commercial space activities.

To view a PDF of the report, visit http://www.epsusa.org/publications/papers/spacesecurity.pdf.

To request a hard copy, please email Thea Harvey theaharvey@epsusa.org.

Read YubaNet’s blog about the report: http://yubanet.com/usa/Report-Economic-Impact-of-Arms-Race-in-Space.php.

“Arms, War and Terrorism in the Global Economy Today: Economic Analyses and Civilian Alternatives” is a volume published by Bremer Schriften zur Konversion. It presents papers of two joint seminars of EPS and the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE), which took place in Rethymon, Crete, Greece, as well as papers from the 2004 Second International Conference on Defense, Security, and Economic Development held in Larissa, Greece.

Contributing authors include Michael Intriligator, Fannie Coulomb, Jacques Fontanel, Jurgen Brauer, Gulay Gunluk-Senesen, J. Paul Dunne, Luc Mampaey, Claude Serfati, Christos Kollias, Clark Abt, and Lucy Law Webster, as well as many other notable economists.

The book is available from the publishers, LIT Verlag, for €24.90 at http://www.lit-verlag.de/isbn/3-8258-0045-1.

Fact Sheets: Periodically, we release two-sided fact sheets designed to give an accessible, graphic look at one specific issue of concern to our members and constituency.

Global Arms Trade 2004 examines the world’s supplies of conventional weapons and small arms. http://www.epsusa.org/publications/factsheets/globalarmstrade.pdf.

Military vs. Social Spending: Warfare or Human Welfare compares US and global military spending with the costs of achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals. http://www.epsusa.org/publications/factsheets/milexMDG.pdf.

Conflict or Development? This book has a regional focus on Africa, the site of most of the world’s current armed conflicts. Some of the leading economists of the day analyze and reflect on the relationships among military spending, domestic and foreign policy, security, and human welfare. Features include country studies, sections on business and conflict, and trends in world military expenditure. Written in a general-interest style, with informative maps, tables, and graphs, the series is designed to inform the debate among policymakers, activists, journalists, academics, students, and citizens worldwide.

You can order Conflict or Development by emailing theaharvey@epsusa.org.

Conflict or Development is also a valuable resource in teaching economics, political science, and international relations courses. To review a copy for use in your syllabus, email Thea Harvey at theaharvey@epsusa.org.

Data Resource webpage offers links to data sources for:

• International military expenditure and conflict indicators
• US military expenditure and capabilities
• Western Europe
• Russia

http://www.epsusa.org/network/data.htm. If you know of a data source that should be added, please contact Thea Harvey at theaharvey@epsusa.org.

EPS Trustees Joseph Stiglitz and Robert Reich, EPS Chair James K. Galbraith, and EPS Fellow William Black have signed an open letter to the recently established Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) calling for an investigation that will illuminate "the origins of the financial crisis in ways that lead to a full understanding of the institutions, people and practices that are responsible for our economic collapse." Based on the lessons of the Pecora Commission, the signers encourage the adoption of three guidelines that history has taught us are essential to an effective inquiry:

• Appoint a single investigator. This individual must have a proven record of exposing fraudulent elites and institutions, and must provide a professional, non-political spirit to the investigation.
• Afford no special treatment. No one is off-limits or gets special protection in the investigation.
• Provide the tools to do the job. The investigator must be given ample budget and time, full subpoena authority, and the ability to hire and fire staff.

To read the letter and/or become a signer, please visit http://www.whatcausedthecrisis.com/.

Want to get the word out on the topic that matters most to you? With a letter to your local paper, you can help bring your message not only to your neighbors but directly to the offices of your Members of Congress, where staffers and our lawmakers themselves follow opinions from home with an especially watchful eye.

The ACLU has a tool that helps write and send letters to local papers. Available are a list of media outlets by state, with tips on how to write a letter in your own words, plus talking points for the listed topics.

http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=LTE_SOTU_2007&JServSessionIdr001=3bu4
9o8t91.app20a

November 17, 2009. Rebuilding America: infrastructure, energy, climate change and the technological future, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington DC.

If you have enjoyed this issue of EPS NewsNotes, or if you wish to support our mission, please consider donating to EPS. You can do so securely online through our website or by sending a check to:

Economists for Peace and Security
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