Thursday 12 January 2012
New year lectures look to high speed rail and secrets of the Chinese economy
David Begg will discuss the East Midlands being on the High Speed Rail network
Nottingham Business School is to welcome transport expert, Professor David Begg, and economist and chairman of the countering terrorism financing group, Loretta Napoleoni, for special guest lectures in 2012.
On Thursday 19 January, David Begg will discuss Why it is crucial for the East Midlands to be on the High Speed Rail Network. Among other roles, David is non-executive board member at both FirstGroup and BAA, director of the Campaign for High Speed Rail and chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce Infrastructure Commission. He was awarded an honorary degree from Nottingham Trent University in 2003.
In his lecture, David will explore the case for a British High Speed Rail Network (HSR) and will seek to address how the HSR falls down to capacity rather than speed, considering the arguments both for and against the proposals.
He said: "A new high speed rail network in Britain would transform the country's economic geography. It would bring our key cities closer together, enable businesses to operate more productively, support employment growth and regeneration, provide a genuine alternative to domestic aviation, and create a platform for delivering long-term and sustainable economic growth and prosperity."
On Thursday 16 February, economist Loretta Napoleoni will deliver a lecture entitled The secret of the Chinese miracle: how a communist country was able to reap the benefits of globalisation following the same pattern of the Industrial Revolution. What are the lessons for the West?
Loretta is the bestselling author of Rogue Economics, Terror Incorporated and Insurgent Iraq. She is an expert on terrorist financing and money laundering, and advises several governments and international organisations on these issues. She was also among the few economists who predicted the credit crunch and the recession and is currently working with a number of banks on strategies to counter the current crisis.
During her lecture, Loretta will discuss why and how the Chinese have embraced profit making, at a time when the western economy is struggling.
She said: "The Chinese economic model has shown a higher degree of flexibility than Western capitalism in adapting to the changes produced by globalisation. It is a paradox but since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Western economics has become highly ideological while Chinese communism has shed most of the Maoist ideology to embrace profit making."
Both events will take place from 6.30pm – 8pm in the University's Newton building. They are free to attend but places must be booked, via email, Tel: 0115 848 8732 or the NBS website.
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