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Fall 2021 Institute Research Conference

Showcasing frontier research to enhance economic opportunity and inclusive growth

October 15, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CT
Virtual event

Fall 2021 Institute Research Conference

The Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute will host its inaugural fall Institute Research Conference on October 15, 2021. This event will showcase the range of frontier-style research that the Institute engages with and will promote a broad scholarly exchange of ideas around presented papers. Papers will discuss questions related to the Institute’s mission of supporting the Federal Reserve’s full employment mandate through research into how to enhance economic opportunity and achieve inclusive growth.

The event includes a keynote panel on Race in Economic Research: From One Dimension to Many. Race can shape many daily interactions and experiences. Because of this, it contributes to economic outcomes in a vast number of ways, yet research methods in economics often abstract from this complexity. To name just a few examples: Models require simplifying assumptions; data – particularly big, administrative data – limits measurement of race and experiences; and exploring long run group dynamics is challenging for a field that uses the individual as the foundational unit of analysis. More broadly, economists make numerous decisions over the course of an analysis that influence conclusions that can be drawn. Given this, how can researchers enrich and expand their study of questions related to race in economics? How can they evaluate the impact of analytical decisions on potential insights into racial disparities? This discussion will continue the Institute’s commitment to examining how economics can better illuminate ways that structures around race influence the allocation of economic resources. For additional reflections on the ways race and racism impact the economics profession, read the brief “Where do we go from here?” for the views of four individuals from underrepresented groups who are members of the next generations of economists.


Conference highlights: “Race in Economic Research: From One Dimension to Many” keynote panel
Belinda Archibong, William “Sandy” Darity, Mario Small, and Charles I. Jones discuss how to expand the study of race in economics research. The conversation was moderated by Janice Eberly and featured an introduction by Alessandra Fogli.



Conference highlights: Monetary policy and inequality
Moritz Kuhn presents “Monetary Policy and Racial Inequality” with a discussion by Illenin Kondo. James Bullard presents “Classic Policy Benchmarks for Economies with Substantial Inequality” with a discussion by Greg Kaplan. Claudia Macaluso presents “Minority Unemployment, Inflation, and Monetary Policy.”



Conference highlights: Income volatility and sources of discrimination
Kyle Herkenhoff presents “Changing Income Risk Across the U.S. Skill Distribution” with a discussion by Elena Manresa. Trevon Logan presents “Competition and Discrimination in Public Accommodations.” Anya Kleymenova presents “The Life Cycle of a Bank Enforcement Action and its Impact on Minority Lending” with a discussion by Luigi Zingales.


Event Details

Virtual event

Event Agenda

10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. CT

Opening Remarks

Abigail Wozniak, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

10:05 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. CT

Monetary Policy and Racial Inequality

Alina K. Bartscher, University of Bonn; Moritz Kuhn, University of Bonn; Moritz Schularick, Federal Reserve Bank of New York and University of Bonn; Paul Wachtel, New York University

Presenter: Moritz Kuhn, University of Bonn
Discussant: Illenin Kondo, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis


Optimal Monetary Policy for the Masses

James Bullard, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Riccardo DiCecio, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Presenter: James Bullard, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Discussant: Greg Kaplan, University of Chicago


Question moderator: Makoto Nakajima, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

11:25 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. CT

Break

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CT

Keynote Panel
Race in Economic Research: From One Dimension to Many

Introduction: Alessandra Fogli, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

Moderator: Janice Eberly, Northwestern University

Panelists:

12:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. CT

Changing Income Risk Across the U.S. Skill Distribution: Evidence from a Generalized Kalman Filter

J. Carter Braxton, University of Wisconsin; Kyle Herkenhoff, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and University of Minnesota; Jonathan Rothbaum, U.S. Census Bureau; Lawrence Schmidt, MIT

Presenter: Kyle Herkenhoff, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and University of Minnesota
Discussant: Elena Manresa, New York University


Minority Unemployment, Inflation, and Monetary Policy

Munseob Lee, University of California, San Diego; Claudia Macaluso, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; Felipe Schwartzman, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Presenter: Claudia Macaluso, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Discussant: David Wilcox, Peterson Institute for International Economics


Question Moderator: Robert Valletta, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

1:50 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. CT

Break

2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. CT

Competition and Discrimination in Public Accommodations: Evidence from the Green Books

Lisa D. Cook, Michigan State; Maggie E. C. Jones, University of Victoria; Trevon D. Logan, The Ohio State University; David Rosé, Wilfrid Laurier University

Presenter: Trevon Logan, The Ohio State University
Discussant: Dan Aaronson, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago


The Life Cycle of a Bank Enforcement Action and its Impact on Minority Lending

Byeongchan An, University of Chicago; Robert Bushman, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Anya Kleymenova, Federal Reserve Board of Governors; Rimmy E. Tomy, University of Chicago

Presenter: Anya Kleymenova, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Discussant: Luigi Zingales, University of Chicago Booth School of Business


Question Moderator: Amanda Michaud, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

3:30 p.m. CT

Closing Remarks

Neel Kashkari, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis


DAY-AHEAD MENTORING CONFERENCE

In conjunction with the Fall Research Conference, the Institute is hosting a day-ahead mentoring conference to provide constructive feedback and networking opportunities to scholars up to 10 years post-Ph.D. As such, attendance will be by invitation only, and the event will not be recorded or posted later. We encourage you to visit participants’ web pages to engage with their scholarship and read the papers.

  • The Determinants of Racial Disparities in Housing Returns

    Amir Kerman, University of California, Berkeley; Francis Wong, NBER

    Presenter: Francis Wong, NBER

  • The Effects of Urban Renewal Programs on Gentrification and Inequality

    Milena Almagro, University of Chicago; Eric T. Chyn, Dartmouth College; Bryan A. Stuart, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

    Presenter: Milena Almagro, University of Chicago

  • The Impact of Affirmative Action Litigation on Police Killings of Civilians

    Robynn Cox, University of Southern California; Jamein Cunningham, Cornell University; Alberto Ortega, Indiana University

    Presenter: Jamein Cunningham, Cornell University

  • A Closer Look: School Proximity Boosts Homeless Student Performance in New York City

    Michael Cassidy, Princeton University

    Presenter: Michael Cassidy, Princeton University

  • Effects of Peer Groups on the Gender-Wage Gap and Life After the MBA: Evidence from the Random Assignment of MBA Peers

    Mallika Thomas, Brookings Institution

    Presenter: Mallika Thomas, Brookings Institution

  • Escaping the Losses from Trade: The Impact of Heterogeneity and Skill Acquisition

    Axelle Ferriere, CNRS and Paris School of Economics; Gaston Navarro, Federal Reserve Board of Governors; Ricardo Reyes-Heroles, Federal Reserve Board of Governors

    Presenter: Ricardo Reyes-Heroles, Federal Reserve Board of Governors

  • Default Risk Heterogeneity and Borrower Selection in the Mortgage Market

    Malin Hu, Vanderbilt University

    Presenter: Malin Hu, Vanderbilt University