Fare Thee Well, Hans-Werner Sinn
A fitting crowning for a towering career. A good part of Germany's political and business elite and part of the world's economic pantheon gathered in Munich to honour Hans-Werner Sinn, an economist who, as many of those present asserted, has dominated economic policy debate at home and abroad like no other in recent decades.
Organised by Mr Sinn's fellow Executive Board member Meinhard Knoche, the day started with an international scientific symposium on public policy, academically coordinated by Robin Boadway, emeritus at Queen's University, and Carsten Eckel, Dean of the LMU Economics Faculty.
Opening words |
Robin Boadway |
Carsten Eckel |
The words of welcome were delivered by Bernd Huber, LMU President, Assaf Razin, Cornell University, Robert Haveman, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Rick van der Ploeg, University of Oxford. A scientific laudation was delivered by Kai Konrad, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Policy, and a Keynote speech by Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann.
Bernd Huber | Assaf Razin |
Robert Haveman |
Rick van der Ploeg | Kai Konrad |
Full House |
Jens Weidmann | Jens Weidmann | Jens Weidmann on Sinn and Economics |
Keep it coming |
An attentive audience: Kai Konrad and Clemens Fuest |
Lots of humour amid the praise |
The first panel dealt with the deficits and cures for the European Monetary Union. Moderated by Harold James, Princeton University, it featured Henning Bohn, University of California, Santa Barbara, Otmar Issing, University of Frankfurt, and Frank Westermann, Osnabrück University.
Harold James |
Henning Bohn |
Otmar Issing |
Frank Westermann | Discussing the cures |
The whole family at the coffee break |
After the coffee break, the second panel was devoted to free trade and the various initiatives to make even freer. Moderated by James R. Markusen, University of Colorado at Boulder, it featured Avinash K. Dixit, Princeton University, Sascha O. Becker, University of Warwick, and Peter H. Egger, ETH Zurich.
James R. Markusen |
Avinash Dixit |
Sascha O. Becker |
Peter H. Egger |
Now I've got this question for you... |
Trading views |
After the lunck break, Panel 3 sought to draw lessons for public policy. Under the moderation of Oliver Hart, Harvard University, it featured ir Partha Dasgupta, University of Cambridge, Philippe Aghion, London School of Economics, and Xavier Vives, IESE Business School.
Oliver Hart |
Sir Partha Dasgupta |
Philippe Aghion |
Xavier Vives |
Couldn't resist: a question from the audience |
The full panel |
The fourth and final panel addressed the issue of public debt. Led by Michael P. Devereux, University of Oxford, it presented the views of Joel B. Slemrod, University of Michigan, Barbara Wolfe, University of Winsconsin-Madison, Vito Tanzi, formerly IMF, and Alan J. Auerbach, University of California, Berkeley.
Michael P. Devereux |
Joel Slemrod |
Barbara Wolfe |
Vito Tanzi |
Alan J. Auerbach |
Now that was a good one |
Once the international symposium was concluded, the official farewell ceremony started. Introduced by Bernd Huber, President of the LMU University of Munich, and Peter-Alenxander Wacker, Chairman of both the Board of Trustees and the Adiministrative Council of the Ifo Institute, it featured two ceremonial lectures, by Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany's Finance Minister, and Martin S. Feldstein, Harvard University and President Emeritus of NBER, respectively.
Bernd Huber |
Peter-Alexander Wacker | Wolfgang Schäuble |
Wolfgang Schäuble |
H.-W. Sinn and Wolfgang Schäuble | Greeting Gerlinde Sinn |
Martin S. Feldstein |
Martin S. Feldstein |
Soaking in the lecture |
The musical interlude was followed by a retrospective of Hans-Werner Sinn's quarter-century at the LMU and the ifo Institute, with the views and reminiscences of Otto Wiesheu, a former Bavarian State Minister of Economics, Agnar Sandmo, Norwegian School of Economics, and Monika Schnitzer, LMU University of Munich
Otto Wiesheu |
Agnar Sandmo | Monika Schnitzer |
The day was wrapped up with a pleasant dinner.
Meinhard Knoche hands over a very special book on Hans-Werner Sinn: See the book |
At the Munich Residenz |
Milling before the dinner |
Bavarian Vice-Premier Ilse Aigner |
Ilse Aigner |
Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer |
My time is just about up: Hans-Werner Sinn and his successor, Clemens Fuest |