The National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have jointly appointed Professor Jeffrey Frankel as the MAS Term Professor in Economics and Finance from 22 to 25 May 2017. Prof Frankel will be hosted by the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences’ Department of Economics and the Economic Policy Group at the MAS during the term of the Professorship.
Prof Jeffrey Frankel is the James W. Harpel Professor of Capital Formation and Growth at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He directs the Program in International Finance and Macroeconomics at the National Bureau of Economic Research, where he is also on the Business Cycle Dating Committee, which officially declares US recessions.
Prof Frankel’s research interests include monetary and fiscal policy, international finance, currencies, crises, commodities, international trade, and global environmental issues. He previously served at the Council of Economic Advisers in 1983–84 and again in 1996–99 under the Clinton Administration, where his responsibilities included advising on international economics, macroeconomics, and the environment.
Prior to Harvard University, Prof Frankel was a Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, having joined the faculty in 1979. He has advised key organisations and agencies such as the US Federal Reserve, the International Monetary Fund, the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, among others.
Professor Robbie Goh, Dean, NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, said, “We are very honoured to have the esteemed Prof Jeffrey Frankel join us at NUS and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. A respected figure and one of the most cited leaders in the field of capital formation and growth, Prof Frankel’s invaluable insights from his many high-level consultative experience and research will benefit our community tremendously and contribute to deeper understanding and greater appreciation of global economics. We look forward to this great opportunity to engage him in the sharing of his work and ideas with the community, policymakers and members of the public here.”
Mr Edward Robinson, Assistant Managing Director (Economic Policy) and Chief Economist at MAS, said, “Professor Jeffrey Frankel is one of the world’s leading researchers on international economics and finance. His work spanning the last few decades has rigorously examined the workings of different exchange rate regimes, the theoretical underpinnings of exchange rate valuation, and the fundamental drivers of market currency movements. In addition, he has been highly attentive to the policy implications of his seminal research in these areas. We are deeply honoured that Professor Jeffrey Frankel has accepted the appointment as MAS Term Professor and for the opportunity to tap on his accumulated knowledge and wisdom, including through the commissioned paper he will present at the Asian Monetary Policy Forum 2017.”
Prof Frankel will present a research seminar on Fiscal Pro-cyclicality and Over-optimism in Official Forecasts on 22 May 2017. He will also deliver a public lecture on China in the World Economy on 25 May 2017. In addition, Prof Frankel will hold dialogue sessions with NUS faculty members to discuss his latest research findings and advise PhD students on their research.
At MAS, Prof Frankel will engage senior policymakers and economists on macroeconomic and exchange rate issues. While in Singapore, he will also participate in the Asian Monetary Policy Forum on 26 May 2017, where he will present his paper on Systematic Managed Floating. The forum is organised under the auspices of the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research (ABFER) and supported by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, NUS Business School and MAS, with the objective of bringing together high-level central bankers, academics and private sector analysts to share perspectives on pressing monetary policy issues in Asia.
About the MAS Term Professorship in Economics and Finance
First established in 2009, the MAS Term Professorship in Economics and Finance is awarded to distinguished scholars, who are appointed as Visiting Professors at both the NUS Business School and the Department of Economics at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It aims to strengthen Singapore’s financial and economics research infrastructure and contribute to a vibrant research community and culture at local universities.
The MAS Term Professorship in Economics and Finance has been awarded to 16 distinguished scholars over the last eight years.
