Business & Entrepreneurship

The recent meltdown in financial markets around the world, government rescue plans and the future of the global economy will be the focus of an international panel of economic experts Friday, Oct. 17, 2:30 p.m., at Washington University in St. Louis. Free and open to the public, the event will be held in the Lab Sciences Building, Room 300 on the Danforth Campus.

Jay Swoboda believes that building “green” homes is not only the right thing to do, it is sound business practice. Swoboda, a 2002 graduate in Arts & Sciences, is an entrepreneur who is showing the St. Louis community a burgeoning market for green, modern, precision-built homes in urban neighborhoods. Swoboda will talk about his experiences […]

Jay Swoboda is an entrepreneur who is showing the St. Louis community that there is a burgeoning market for green, modern, precision-built homes in urban neighborhoods. Swoboda will talk about his experiences at 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 15, for an Assembly Series program called “Gonzo Entrepreneurship: Creating Better Social Environments while Keeping a Roof over your Head.” The presentation will be held in the Danforth University Center Room 276 and is free and open to the public.

FazzariWUSTL economist Steven Fazzari, Ph.D., argues that we have now reached the “Minsky moment,” the time when an unsustainable financial boom turns to bust. “The serious consequences for employment and economic growth in this crisis can be mitigated, but not eliminated, by the defensive financial bailouts that the federal government has initiated,” Fazzari says.

Block”Emergency government bailouts of private industry are nothing new, but what makes the recent spate of so-called bailouts so extraordinary is simply the numbers involved and the extent of government involvement in ownership and management,” says Cheryl Block, leading federal budget expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “We absolutely need a better regulatory infrastructure to monitor and provide better early-warning signals, and to provide procedural mechanisms for responding to emergencies. It is troubling that weighty decisions are being made on an ad hoc basis behind closed doors. These decisions potentially involve not only substantial amounts of taxpayer money, but they also involve employment decisions regarding management of major business enterprises.”

FazzariFazzari, Ph.D., professor of economics and associate director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy in Arts & Sciences, will discuss the conditions that have contributed to the economic turmoil, and share his research regarding what’s in store for the future in his Assembly Series presentation, “The U.S. Economy in the Consumer Age.” His conclusion will cover a discussion of how, if at all, the major policy steps proposed by the presidential candidates address the deepening recession. The event, free and open to the public, will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, September 24, in the Women’s Building, Formal Lounge.

Steven Fazzari, Ph.D., professor of economics and associate director of the Murray Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy in Arts & Sciences, will discuss the current economic crisis for the Assembly Series Wednesday, Sept. 24.

Now that the U.S. government has taken the controls of distressed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, American taxpayers facing billions of dollars in losses in home loans issued by the private sector are left wondering, “What does this mean for me?”

The Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis has announced a schedule of program previews, networking events and information sessions highlighting the value of the school’s top-ranked Executive MBA program (EMBA), which prepares individuals to lead and advance their organizations.

Therapies, rehabilitation and specialty medical care are just a few of the extra costs parents face when raising children with special needs. In a new study published in Pediatrics, Paul T. Shattuck, Ph.D., professor of social work, found that families with similar demographics and nature of their children’s special needs have different out-of-pocket health expenditures depending on the state in which they live.