Paul Romer

Why is populism rising? Why are we facing a new era of trade friction? How is the erosion of integrity impacting politics? How can countries cooperate in the face of intense nationalism? How can governments improve the lives of their citizens despite these challenges? The speech will weave together Paul’s work as an economist, including the work on technological innovation that earned him his Nobel Prize, to address the most important macro trends and challenges facing globally minded leaders today, and provide a compelling and sobering, yet optimistic case for why the best is yet to come and how the trends that have enabled the current challenges can be harnessed to create future opportunities.

In an era of rising division, mistrust, and rhetoric, this speech will rise above politics to offer an economist’s macro perspective on what the US can and should do to compete with other nations, recognizing that the most successful outcomes can be beneficial for all parties. The speech will focus on opportunities for growth and innovation across the country. Paul will address how updating our thinking on competition can unlock new progress in everything from innovation and business to economic development and education, how redefining our nation’s relationship to its innovators and scientists is critical to solving big problems, and how we can leverage the things we can all agree on to continue the grand experiment that is America, no matter the challenges posed from outside or within.

Why this century is a once in a species opportunity and why cities are the key to progress.


Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said that states are the laboratories of democracy. In this speech, Paul will lay out the case for why cities are the laboratories of progress in an era of rapid urbanization. Paul will focus on how cities can and attract new residents, how city scale real estate development can redefine what’s possible for the future of humanity, and what we can do now to unlock untold progress in the future in the hundreds of soon to be mega cities rapidly growing now. The speech will address key areas of progress cities are uniquely poised to unlock, timely issues like migration, technological innovation, and identity.

How both Domestic and International Markets along with monetary policy shape the Economy


The temporary recessions of the global economy seem to be inevitable, but unlimited growth is possible in a world with finite resources. In this compelling presentation, Nobel Prize Recipient, Paul Romer, shares the current state of the global economy, what has led us to the status quo, and how both the United States and the rest of world can select a path of economic growth long into the future.

China and the United States will share the world’s stage for generations to come. China’s path to progress and growth in the 20th century was a remarkable turnaround and the current era’s trade frictions are a sign of deeper misunderstandings in this relationship. In this speech, Paul Romer will share a clear eyed understanding of the innovations that enabled China’s return to global prominence, and how these two superpowers can shape their interactions and share insights into the ways this competition can be structured to benefit everyone involved.