About
The Financial Economists Roundtable (FER) is a group of senior financial economists who have made significant contributions to the finance literature and seek to apply their knowledge and experience to current policy debates. FER encourages spirited interaction and intellectual discussion around a broad range of scholarly and policy topics related to financial markets and institutions. We seek to develop careful analyses that contribute to important policy debates and decisions.
FER members meet annually to discuss a current U.S. or international policy topic related to financial markets and institutions. The FER’s statements summarize the FER’s consensus views of these policy issues and are intended to increase awareness and understanding of the issues among public policy makers, the financial economics profession, and the general public.
Goals and Objectives
To encourage spirited interaction and intellectual discussion of a broad range of scholarly and policy topics related to financial markets and institutions
To develop in-depth analyses of important policy issues to provide objective contributions to policy debates and decisions
In memory of
George Kaufman
George Kaufman founded the Financial Economists Roundtable in 1993 and chaired the group for almost 20 years. His leadership attracted leading academic scholars whose annual policy statements have provided valuable policy insights to policy makers, academics, and those interested in financial market regulation. Prior to his retirement in 2017, Prof. Kaufman held the John F. Smith chair in Loyola University Chicago's Quinlan School of Business Finance Department and was a consultant to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. .
George was deeply involved in policy issues and debates. He served as the deputy to the assistant secretary for economic policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury during the Presidential Administration of Gerald R. Ford, and as Acting Director of Research for the Comptroller of the Currency during the Presidential Administration of Jimmy Carter. IN addition to FER, he founded the U.S. Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee in the mid-1980s, whose goal was to have a formal platform to critically evaluate financial policy recommendations.
George left a legacy of intellectual contributions to the field of finance. He authored over 200 scientific papers and wrote or edited numerous books and served either as an editor or on the editorial board of a number of leading journals. He has also served in a variety of academic leadership positions: President of the Western Finance Association, President of the Midwest Finance Association, President of the North American Economic and Finance Association, the Board of Directors of the American Finance Association, and the Board of Directors of the Western Economic Association. He won a number of awards for his teaching and scholarship, including the Adam Smith Award, presented by the National Association of Business Economists, the Distinguished Scholar Award presented by the Midwest Finance Association and is a Distinguished Fellow of the North American Economics and Finance Association. George passed away at the age of 87 in 2020.