8:45 - 9:40 a.m.    Inflation: Where’s the Inflation?

Presenter:  Antony Davies, Associate Professor of Economics, Duquesne University

Over the past century, the broad theme of our public policy has been one of ignoring constraints. Breaking free of the political constraints imposed by the Constitution enabled politicians to buy votes by promising both more spending and less taxes. Breaking free of the monetary constraints imposed by a gold standard enabled the Federal Reserve to finance deficits by printing money. For decades, economists have warned that, without these two constraints, we were destined for sustained and significant inflation. But, at least until recently, inflation was nowhere to be seen. Or was it?

9:40 - 10:35 a.m.    Supply Chain Issues: Managing disruption and navigating the impact of the economic changes

Presenter: Agapitos Papagapitos, Professor of Economics, University of St. Thomas 

Much has been written about the problems with the supply chain, both nationally and globally, following the pandemic.  Are supply chain imbalances a new phenomenon?  Are imbalances likely to linger and are they different this time around than what we have encountered in the past?  Are some sectors of the economy more susceptible than others to such disruptions?  What are policy makers doing about it and is it enough?  We will take a stab at sorting through some of these questions.

10:50 - 11:45 a.m.    Great Resignation: Resigning greatly, quitting quietly, returning soon? Labor supply post-pandemic 

Presenter: King Banian, Dean of Public Affairs, St. Cloud State University

Minnesota labor force statistics show that the number of people either working or looking for work in August stands 79,543 below where it was before the pandemic. The monthly rate at which workers are quitting jobs has risen in that same time by a third, to 2.4% of all workers per month. Some ascribe this to people resigning, while others claim workers are engaged in ‘quiet quitting’. What do these terms mean? More importantly, when will quitting return to normal levels and what does that mean for the Minnesota economy?