EI Economic Transformation

Unpack the choices that shape nations -- and the lives of their people.

Economic Transformation: Competing Models in a Changing World poses the question: Why do some countries prosper while others face stagnation or economic decline? This semester-long program explores what happens when nations pursue different economic "business models" and the impact of those choices on everyday people. 
 
We are at a pivotal moment: The United States, under the Trump Administration, is attempting a dramatic restructuring of its own economy, as well as its international economic relationships. China, Russia, and other autocracies seek to sustain state-directed models. Historically high-performing European and Asian democracies like Germany and Japan confront aging societies and struggle to develop more innovative, high-tech economies. Meanwhile, countries from Nigeria to Vietnam to Venezuela, pursue a range of economic models, producing varied social, political, and economic outcomes.  

This program will examine how national economic policies -- spanning trade, tariffs, education, infrastructure, social welfare, and regulation -- shape both a country’s economic performance and the well-being of its society. 

In this program, participants will explore questions such as: 

• What are the tradeoffs between: (a) fostering an egalitarian, inclusive economy versus driving dynamic growth; (b) state intervention versus a laissez-faire approach; and (c) protecting rights and civil liberties versus pursuing stronger state-direction and control?
• How have strategies such as tariffs, trade restrictions, export-led growth, industrial policies prioritizing key sectors, or major subsidies for specific industries and essential goods influenced countries' economic outcomes?
• How did some countries, like the so-called Asian Tigers, transform from developing economies into leading economic powers within a couple of generations while others struggled to advance?
• Why have some resource-poor nations successfully built thriving high-tech sectors and strong middle classes, while other resource-rich countries struggle with inequality and recurring economic crises?

Join John Austin, Senior Fellow at the Eisenhower Institute and Brookings Institution, and Dr. Raphael L’Hoest, German Deputy Director, Competition and Regional Policy, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, as they unpack these questions and share insights from the frontlines of global economic strategy. 

Interactive Learning Project:

Participants will move beyond discussion to actively engage with real-world challenges. Students will analyze existing economic strategies, debate their effectiveness, assess and develop an economic development plan for a country of their choice. They will balance trade-offs, defend their decisions, and adapt to shifting global realities.