This grant supports the continued semi-annual meetings of the Universities' Research Conference (URC). The purpose of these conferences is to bring together economists from across the U.S. for two days of discussions on a specific topic. Conference topics are chosen for their relevance to current economic policy discussions as well as their interest to academic economists. Recent conferences have focussed on international aspects of fiscal policies, monetary policy, government spending programs, and unemployment. Papers for presentation at the conferences are solicited from over 80 economics departments and 50 business schools. Conference organizers are careful to select a mix of established and less well known researchers. Discussants and other conference participants are also chosen to encourage interaction among economists with similar interests at different universities. A typical conference includes 8 to 10 papers and about 80 participants from 25 different universities. This is a unique and valuable forum for researchers who otherwise might have little opportunity to interact with other specialists in their field. Past conferences have been well run. The quality of the papers presented was high. Participants benefitted from the formal presentations and the informal interactions. The conference organizers have the ability to continue this successful conference series.
