Facilitators – David Snow and Tom  Bjorkman

Dates & Times – Fridays, Oct. 26-Nov. 16, 1-3pm 

Location – Blue Hill Public Library, Howard Room

Globalization, technology, and deregulation have altered the character of the American economy, introducing a new era of wealth for those at the top of the income pyramid and stagnating incomes for the middle class.  Initiatives to increase government authority to curb the speculative excesses that fueled the financial meltdown in 2009-2010 have been largely stymied by those who see government as the problem and free markets as the solution. This colloquy will explore the economic and ideological roots of this clash and the historic struggle to define the proper role for government in creating a productive economy and a just democratic society. There are numerous recent and important books on point and a reading list will be maintained on the Colloquy's web site, but the discussion will focus on articles by thoughtful writers such as Benjamin Friedman, TomFriedman, Francis Fukuyama, Raghuram Rajan and Joseph Stiglitz that will be made available to participants.

David Snow was a partner in a large international law firm before serving as a Federal Bankruptcy Judge. Most recently he taught a course at the University of Maine that focused on Constitutional Law.

 

Tom Bjorkman holds a Ph.D. in Government from Cornell, spent 30 years as a CIA analyst, and currently works as a part-time consultant for government and private sector clients