Chicago Booth’s 2022 Economic Outlook events to examine impact of COVID-19

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business will host its first two Economic Outlook events in January 2022, with a third event to be announced later this winter. This year’s events will spotlight some of the major downstream effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy.

The first event on Jan. 12, focused on inflation and labor markets, will take place virtually in Chicago. The second event on Jan. 26, focused on supply chains and Asian economies, will be hosted virtually by the University’s Hong Kong campus. A third event on Feb. 23 will conclude the three-part series.

Established in 1954, the Economic Outlook series is a renowned tradition at Chicago Booth, in which some of the nation’s leading academic economists share their perspectives on the trends shaping economic forces in the United States and around the world.

The Jan. 12 event will feature Profs. Austan D. Goolsbee, Randall S. Kroszner and Raghuram G. Rajan, who will discuss 2021’s high inflation rates; changes in the labor force as businesses have struggled to find workers while many employees have switched jobs; and the implications of these and other trends—including supply chain disruptions—for the global economy.

All three speakers have experience at the highest levels of government, and expertise in parsing the different ways in which central banks can help address crises. The event will be moderated by Kathleen Hays, a global economics and policy editor for Bloomberg Television and Radio who has covered the global economy for 30 years.

The Jan. 26 event will feature Kroszner and Prof. Chang-Tai Hsieh of Chicago Booth, along with UChicago alum Richard Wong, AB’74, AM’74, PhD’81, now a professor of economics at the University of Hong Kong. The group will examine the impact of COVID-19, labor shortages and factory closures on the global supply chain, especially in Asia. All three discussants are experts on public policy choices and economic outcomes.

To register for the free events, visit Chicago Booth’s website.