Invitation to Global Economic Symposium at Kiel Institute

Dear NBER Research Associates and Faculty Research Fellows:

    I am writing with a very gracious invitation from Dennis Snower, the
President of the Kiel Institute for the Global Economy in Germany. The
Kiel Institute sponsors a major gathering in early September, the Global
Economic Symposium, and Dennis has offered to waive the substantial
conference registration fee for NBER affiliates. His letter of
invitation is below; if you are interested in attending this meeting,
please follow up as indicated in the body of his message.
     The NBER Summer Institute began this morning and we are off to a
great start. All best wishes.

Jim Poterba

Dear NBER fellow,

We wish to invite you to be a participant in the Global Economic Symposium
2008, which is scheduled for September 4 and 5 at Ploen Castle, an
outstandingly beautiful landmark in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany (close to
Hamburg).

The Global Economic Symposium (GES) assembles some of the world's most
prominent experts from politics, business, academia, and civil society to
address the most important global problems. A large number of leading
decision makers from the world of politics, business and economics - the
Nobel Laureates George Akerlof, Daniel Mc Fadden, Robert Mundell, and
Michael Spence, the EU Commissioners Joaquin Almunia and Danuta Hübner, the
Turkish Minister of Economy Mehmet ªimºek, the Greek Minister of Economy and
Finance George Alogoskoufis, the Swedish Minister of Finance Anders Borg,
Lord Browne, the previous CEO of BP, Richard Evans, the CEO of Rio Tinto,
John Haley, the CEO of Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Jim Zemlin, the Executive
Director of the Linus Foundation, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD Supachai
Panitchpakdi, and many CEOs of leading global companies - have agreed so far
to attend the GES 2008.

The participants play a vital role in the Symposium and are expected to take
an active part in the open discussions following each panel debate.
Furthermore, they can contribute to the discussion of policy and strategy
proposals via the Virtual GES. They thereby become part of the select
community individuals contributing to the quest for solutions to the global
problems highlighted in the GES.

Please find enclosed additional information about the GES. If you need to
know more, please do not hesitate to contact us. As fellow of NBER the
participation fee of 1500 Euros is waived for you. Places will be allocated
on a first come first serve basis. We would be grateful, if you could let us
know whether you are interested and able to participate by the 31st of July
by sending an email to michael.langer_at_global-economic-symposium.org . Thank
you very much.

We would be delighted to welcome you to the GES, and we are looking forward
very much to hearing from you soon.

With best regards,

Prof. Dennis J. Snower, Ph.D. Alessio J. G. Brown
(President) (GES Executive Director)