Dr. Christina Romer, Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Headlines The Economist's Innovation Event in Berkeley

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Mar 15, 2010, 11:00 ET

NEW YORK, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 23, 2010 the world's foremost experts on innovation will gather in Berkeley, Calif. to challenge established thinking about what innovation is, where it comes from, and how to make it work. Fueled by the belief that innovation itself is ripe for change, "Innovation: Fresh thinking for the ideas economy" is a two-day event hosted by journalists from The Economist and created for executives who believe in the power of innovation to transform their businesses, their lives, their futures, and their planet.

Just added to the long list of world-class participants is Dr. Christina Romer, who chairs President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. Romer will discuss the future of innovation and the American economy as part of a conversation with Greg Ip, US Economics Editor for The Economist. Dr. Romer will drill down into the specifics of what the Obama administration is doing to fuel innovation as a mechanism for creating jobs and stimulating the economy. The discussion will lead into an Oxford-style debate about the role of government in spurring innovation. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson will square off against conservative economist and blogger Tyler Cowen and Electronic Frontier Foundation Founder John Perry Barlow.

The Economist will provide satellite feed for Dr. Romer's session on March 23 starting at 5:15pm PDT:

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Uplink Freq:	14245.00
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Ideas Economy: Innovation will take place at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley on March 23 and 24 and registration is limited to 200 people. Additional topics of focus are:

Great challenges of the twenty-first century
Disruptive innovation and the 'old economy'
Competing perspectives on the flat world
Re-examining corporate structures
The end of healthcare as we know it
The power of social entrepreneurship
How to fail successfully
Innovation and design thinking

Other confirmed speakers include Peter Acworth, Daniel Altman, Paolo Antonelli, Amar Bhide, Sara Beckman, Scott Berkun, Mark Bernstein, Larry Brilliant, Tim Brown, Ed Catmull, Clayton Christensen, Jared Diamond, Juan Enriquez, Amy Edmondson, Kathleen Eisenhardt, Juan Enriquez, Judy Estrin, Dan Esty, George Halvorson, Kris Halvorsen, Arianna Huffington, Larry Huston, Joi Ito, Richard Jefferson, John Kao, Jordan Kassalow, David Kelley, Claudia Kotcha, Andrew Kuper, Ray Kurzweil, Richard Lyons, Roger Martin, Mary McDowell, Mickey McManus, Matt Mullenweg, Jacqueline Novogratz, Michael Porter, Paul Saffo, Annalee Saxenian, Jonathan Schooler, Mark Smith, Andrew Speight, David Tennenhouse, Andrew Thompson, Amy Wilkinson, James Wilsdon, and Nathan Wolfe.

Registration is $1500 and limited to 200 attendees. For the program and other event details, please visit: http://ideas.economist.com/.

About The Economist (www.economist.com)

Edited in London since 1843, The Economist is a weekly international news and business publication offering clear reporting, commentary and analysis on world politics, business, finance, science, technology, culture, society, media and the arts. The Economist has a North American circulation of 813,000, a global circulation of more than 1.4 million and 4 million monthly unique visitors at Economist.com. Because of its international editorial perspective, it is read by more of the world's political and business leaders than any other magazine.

About the Ideas Economy Event Series

Economist conferences, rated among the most influential by C-suite executives globally, are international forums for leaders seeking new insights into strategic issues. New in 2010 is the Ideas Economy event series. It will bring together journalists from The Economist with top thinkers from around the world to discuss and debate the most important ideas of our time; Innovation, Intelligent Infrastructure and Human Potential. The inaugural event, "Innovation: Fresh thinking for the ideas economy," will be held in Berkeley, Calif. on March 23 and 24, 2010. For more information about Economist conferences and the Ideas Economy series, visit http://ideas.economist.com/.

About Haas School of Business (www.haas.berkeley.edu)

Haas School of Business is the Host Sponsor for the inaugural Ideas Economy event on Innovation. For over 100 years, the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, has offered a superb management education to outstanding men and women from around the world. The School is one of the world's leading producers of new ideas and knowledge for all areas of business, and a launching point for many new businesses. The Haas School is widely known for its diverse and talented faculty, staff, students and alumni. They have created an innovative academic culture that stresses cooperative teamwork, entrepreneurship, a global point of view, and an emphasis on new ideas and fresh perspectives. The school's programs benefit significantly from the university's practice of interdisciplinary research and teaching, and the school's strong connections to nearby Silicon Valley.

SOURCE The Economist