Noted international economist, Dr. C. Fred Bergsten, will spend a six-week sabbatical in Barbados as a guest of the Central Bank, commencing mid-January.

Dr. Bergsten is a Senior Fellow and Director Emeritus of the Washington-based Peterson Institute, the only major research institution in the United States devoted to international economic issues, and described as ???the most influential think tank on the planet???.

Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Dr. DeLisle Worrell noted that the Bank was deeply honoured to have been chosen by Dr. Bergsten to spend a part of his sabbatical.

During his visit, Dr. Bergsten will be involved in a regional discussion forum on issues of local, regional and international import, deliver lectures and seminars to graduate students of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, government officials, the media, policy makers and economists from Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean and participate in an interview with Governor Worrell.

He???s also expected to meet with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Minister of Finance, Christopher Sinckler.
Bersgten is no stranger to Barbados. In 1990, he delivered the Sir Winston Scott Memorial Lecture on the topic, ???The World Economy after the Cold War???.

In this outstanding presentation, he displayed a thorough understanding of the world economy, its evolution and development and offered some insights into how the rise and fall of superpowers might change the world economic landscape in the future.

Dr. Bergsten is among the most widely quoted think-tank economists and has authored, coauthored, edited, or coedited 41 books on international economic issues, including Global Economics in Extraordinary Times: Essays in Honor of John Williamson (2012), The Long-Term International Economic Position of the United States (2009, selected a “must read” by The Washington Post), China’s Rise: Challenges and Opportunities (2008), China, The Balance Sheet: What the World Needs to Know Now About The Emerging Superpower (2006) and The United States and the World Economy: Foreign Economic Policy for the Next Decade (2005).

He recently retired from the Peterson Institute, of which he was the Founding Director in 1981. ???I???ve spent 30 years of my life creating and developing the institute,??? said Dr. Bergsten, 70 years old. ???I do want to get back to doing more research and writing myself. And I want to make the transition when we???re in good shape and there???s a very strong foundation.???

His other accomplishments are many; he is a member of the U.S. President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations, a member of the Advisory Committee to the Export-Import Bank, and co-chairman of the Private Sector Advisory Group to the United States???India Trade Policy Forum, comprising the trade ministers of those two countries.

In November, he received the National Foreign Trade Council’s 2013 World Trade Award, becoming the annual award???s first recipient to be recognized for thought leadership rather than service as a high government official or top corporate executive

Dr. Bergsten???s wife, Virginia, will accompany him on the sabbatical.

communications@centralbank.org.bb

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