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Our History

MOST RECENT SUMMITS

2002

2002

THE BEGINNING

When the first Warwick Economics Summit took place in January 2002 it was the first ever inter-university undergraduate economics event in the UK. Approximately 170 students, including 40 non-Warwick students, attended lectures, debates and student-led seminars. The Summit was entitled 'No longer inevitable? The future of the World Economy after September 11th'.

2003

2003

GLOBALISATION AND
DEVELOPMENT

The theme for the 2003 event was 'Globalisation and Development' – an early sign that the Summit would focus not only on economics, but on issues such as politics and international relations. The diverse range of topics discussed at the Summit remains a tradition to this day. The second annual Summit also consolidated on the first with speakers from both the IMF and the World Bank.

 

Speakers included:

 

  • Dr. Lopez-Claros, former economist at the International Monetary Fund

  • Johannes F. Linn, former Vice President at the World Bank

  • Clive Crook, former Deputy Editor of The Economist

  • Jean Lambert, MEP

2004

2004

MONEY FOR NOTHING:
THE DIRE STRAITS OF THE
MODERN ECONOMY

The Summit quickly built a reputation for hosting the renowned speakers that it enjoys today. In 2004, the Summit welcomed around 300 students, both from Warwick and enjoyed the largest number of visitors from other universities to date.

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Speakers included:

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  • Tony Golding, author of The City: The Great Expectations Machine

  • Prof. Jean-Pierre Lehmann of IMD and pioneer of the EVIAN group

  • John Kay, UK economist

2005

2005

THE FIRST NOBEL LAUREATE TO SPEAK
AT WES

By 2005 the Summit was firmly established as a major event at Warwick and in the UK. The Summit sold out at 500 students, with another 1,034 on the waiting list and the number of external delegates just kept on rising, indicating how successful the Summit had been in its first three years. The Summit also enjoyed sponsorship from RBS and Barclays.

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This year, WES welcomed its first Nobel Laureate, Professor John Nash (1994), who gave the keynote address.

2006

2006

THE SUMMIT EXPANDS
NATIONALLY

By 2006, the Summit was regularly attracting the biggest names in economics, business and politics – including Dr. Vince Cable, now the Coalition's Business Secretary.

 

Speakers included:

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  • Prof. Dr. Norbert Walter, Managing Director at Deutsche Bank Research and Chief Economist of DB Group

  • Prof. Dean Baker, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington

  • Dr. Vincent Cable MP, Treasury Spokesman for the Liberal Democrats

2007

2007

CHALLENGING PARADIGMS

Speakers included:

 

  • Harriet Lamb, Director of The Fairtrade Foundation

  • Dr. Madsen Pirie, President of the Adam Smith Institute

  • Prof. Charles Wheelan, University of Chicago, author of "Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science"

 

In addition, it was held on the same weekend of the first Economics Ball, organised by Warwick Economics Society.

2008

By 2008 the Summit could truly call itself a world class event. Delegates arrived from universities all around the UK, but also from Europe: students from Vienna and Milan were amongst those to hear two internationally renowned British economists, John Kay and Paul Omerod.

 

Speakers included:

 

Prof. John Kay, UK economist: Director of several investment companies and a director of the British Bank Halifax for nine years, one of the largest retail financial services businesses in Europe

Paul Ormerod: multidisciplinary UK economist and writer (inc. "Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction, and Economics")

Edgar E. Peters - Chief Investment Strategist and Director at PanAngora Asset Management Inc., Expert on chaos theory

Tim Harford: British Economist, journalist and writer (inc. "The Undercover Economist")

Dr. Kori Udovicki- Assistant Secretary-General of UN

Stephen King - Group Chief Economist – HSBC

2008

WORLD CLASS
2009

2009

POLICY MAKERS AND CENTRAL BANKERS

2009's Warwick Economics Summit was the first to be attended by a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee – Kate Barker. Hundreds of students also had the chance to hear from Professor Ewald Nowotny, Governor of the Austrian National Bank.

 

Speakers included:

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  • Ian Stewart, Macroeconomic Research Director of Deloitte and former Chief Economist for Europe at Merril Lynch

  • Paul Donovan, Deputy Head of Global Economics at UBS Investment Bank and member of Royal Economic Society

  • Kate Barker CBE, British economist and former external member of the Monetary Policy Committee

  • John Authers, Global Head of the business and finance column Lex of the Financial Times

  • Kevin Kallaugher, KAL, editorial cartoonist for The Economist

  • Prof. Ewald Nowotny, Governor of the Austrian National Bank

  • Patrick Birley, CEO of European Climate Exchange

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