Glenn Hubbard is a distinguished economist
and current dean and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School (CBS). His education includes a BA and BS which he
obtained from the University of Central Florida in 1979 and an AM and PhD in economics from Harvard University which he earned in 1981 and 1983,
respectively. Hubbard is also the co-director for the Richard Paul Richman
Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy (2).
In addition, Hubbard has been
chairman and co-chairman, both past and presently, of various councils,
committees, clubs, and groups including the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors for which he acted as chairman from 2001 to 2003 (1). He has also applied his
expertise to the U.S. government, serving as a consultant to the Federal Reserve Board
and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as well as deputy assistant of the
U.S. Treasury Department (2).
Hubbard has written and co-written multiple
books such as “The Aid Trap: Hard Truths about Ending Poverty,” “Balance:
Why do great powers lose it? How can America regain it?” and “Healthy, Wealthy,
and Wise: Five Steps to a Better Healthcare System.” He has also written and co-written several textbooks and over 100 articles on finance and economics (1).
Glenn Hubbard’s importance is a
direct result of the work he has done in the fields of finance and economics. A combination of academia
and government-related experience has allowed Hubbard to cultivate extensive knowledge that has since let him empower both students and government
officials to make sound decisions and policies.
I was unaware of Glenn Hubbard
before now. However, certain aspects of Hubbard’s career will be relevant to
this class. For example, on the back cover of Hubbard and Anthony Patrick O’Brien’s
book, titled “Economics,” it’s written that “The book motivates users by
demonstrating how real business uses economics to make real decisions on a
daily basis” (1). This feels very much aligned with what I expect to learn from the
course material. Furthermore, Hubbard’s positions at CBS have him teaching
business students and entrepreneurs (2). Regardless of opinions regarding Hubbard’s
views on economics, business, and finance, his widespread knowledge and experience should
be acknowledged.
(1)
http://glennhubbard.net/
(2)
http://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/cbs-directory/detail/rgh1
(Image) http://glennhubbard.net/images/stories/hubbard.jpg
(Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Truthfully, Hubbard is not one of the aliases used in the class because of the relevance of his research. Rather he is another economist, along with Sir John Hicks, whose last name begins with "H" and I needed somebody in that category.
ReplyDeleteThat said, there are probably many economists whose work touches on what we will study at least in a tangential way. We will only mention a few in class so you can become more closely familiar with their ideas. But the discipline as a whole evolves from the contributions of many who do similar work. I don't want to mislead you into thinking only those people we mention matters. All of the contributors matter.
Thank you for your clarification. It's true that Glenn Hubbard generally has little to do with the particular subject matter that I see this class heading into. Like you said, though, that doesn't mean he doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view, his position and affiliation with certain organizations makes him more important to the economic discourse instead. Whether his audience considers him right or wrong on different topics, his contributions to the economic conversation can still be of benefit within this course and economics as a whole.