Dr. Raphael Bostic, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, will deliver the 2023 Schwartz Lecture. 

President Bostic will address the importance of achieving maximum sustainable employment in order to reduce wealth inequality in the U.S. He will discuss the role of monetary policy in this endeavor, as well as how the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta connects with other policymakers to find workable solutions that increase economic mobility and resilience in the communities they serve. In his lecture, he will talk about the need for a sustained effort to achieve real progress, but how many of the ideas and solutions needed are beyond the authority of the central bank and monetary policy. Therefore, he will challenge other policymakers and leaders to collectively step up to find effective and lasting solutions that reduce wealth inequality in this and future generations. 

The Schwartz Lecture is an annual event within the Economics Department at The New School for Social Research that features a major public figure in economic policy. As the policy research arm of the University’s heterodox Economics department, our community is focused on providing alternative narratives to the conventional view of our economic underpinnings. 

Prior to his current role, Dr. Bostic was the Judith and John Bedrosian Chair in Governance and the Public Enterprise at the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. He also worked at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and served as assistant secretary for policy development and research at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. His research has spanned many fields, including home ownership, housing finance, neighborhood change, and the role of institutions in shaping policy effectiveness. 

Following the lecture, Teresa Ghilarducci, director of the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, will moderate a discussion with Darrick Hamilton, founding director of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy; Tony James, co-founder of the Partnership for Education Advancement; and Kate Bahn, research director at WorkRise at the Urban Institute.