C. Fred Bergsten

Last updated
C. Fred Bergsten
C-fred-bergsten.jpg
C. Fred Bergsten in 2002
Born (1941-04-23) April 23, 1941 (age 82)
NationalityAmerican
SpouseVirginia Wood Bergsten
Academic career
Institution Peterson Institute for International Economics
Field Economics
Alma mater Central Methodist University
Awards National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) World Trade Award

C. Fred Bergsten (born April 23, 1941) is an American economist, author, think tank entrepreneur, and policy adviser. He has served as assistant for international economic affairs to Henry Kissinger within the National Security Council and as assistant secretary for international affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He was the founding director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, until 2006 the Institute for International Economics, which he established in 1981 and led through 2012. In addition to his academic work, he has been an influential public commentator and advisor to the American and global economic policy community, [1] writing for influential periodicals such as Foreign Affairs magazine [2] and by writing numerous books.

Contents

Education and career

Bergsten received a BA from Central Methodist University, during which time he was valedictorian of his class and a championship debater, and then earned MA, MALD, and PhD degrees from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He was a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations from 1967 to 1968. In 1969 he became assistant for international economic affairs to Henry Kissinger at the National Security Council where he coordinated US foreign economic policy until 1971. From 1972 to 1976 he was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

From 1977 to 1981 he served at the U.S. Treasury Department as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs during the Carter administration. [1] He functioned as well as Under Secretary for Monetary Affairs, during 1980–81, representing the United States on the G-5 Finance Ministers' deputies and in preparing G-7 summits.

Bergsten was a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace during 1981. In that same year he founded a Washington-based think-tank, the Institute for International Economics. He was director of that now renamed organization through 2012 and is now its director emeritus and a senior fellow. He has authored 41 books on a wide variety of global economic topics, most recently The International Economic Position of the United States and China's Rise: Challenges And Opportunities.

In 1991, he was elected chairman of the Competitiveness Policy Council, created by the Congress, and led the council for several years with distinction. During his tenure, the council issued a series of reports on US competitiveness to the President and the Congress. From 1992 through 1995, he was also chairman of the Eminent Persons Group of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, whose recommendations for achieving "free and open trade and investment in the region" by 2020 were agreed by the leaders of the member economies and are now being implemented through the TransPacific Partnership.

In 2001, he co-founded the Center for Global Development along with Edward W. Scott, Jr. and Nancy Birdsall. He is now a member of the President's Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN), a member of the Advisory Committee to the Export-Import Bank of the United States and co-chairman of the Private Sector Advisory Group to the Trade Policy Forum composed of the trade ministers of India and the United States. His career is described and analyzed in C. Fred Bergsten and The World Economy, a book of essays on his contributions to a wide range of global economic issues published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics in 2007 and edited by former Senior Fellow Michael Mussa.

Honors

Publications

Books

Personal life

Bergsten is married to Virginia Wood Bergsten. They have one son who is a doctor. [1]

Related Research Articles

John Harold Williamson was a British-born economist who coined the term Washington Consensus. He served as a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics from 1981 until his retirement in 2012. During that time, he was the project director for the United Nations High-Level Panel on Financing for Development in 2001. He was also on leave as chief economist for South Asia at the World Bank during 1996–99, adviser to the International Monetary Fund from 1972 to 1974, and an economic consultant to the UK Treasury from 1968 to 1970. He was also an economics professor at Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (1978–81), University of Warwick (1970–77), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of York (1963–68) and Princeton University (1962–63).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagdish Bhagwati</span> Indian-born naturalized American economist

Jagdish Natwarlal Bhagwati is an Indian-born naturalized American economist and one of the most influential trade theorists of his generation. He is a University Professor of economics and law at Columbia University and a Senior Fellow in International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. He has made significant contributions to international trade theory and economic development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Zoellick</span> 11th President of the World Bank Group

Robert Bruce Zoellick is an American public official and lawyer who was the 11th president of the World Bank Group, a position he held from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2012. He was previously a managing director of Goldman Sachs, United States Deputy Secretary of State and U.S. Trade Representative, from February 7, 2001, until February 22, 2005. Zoellick has been a senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs since ending his term with the World Bank. He is currently a Senior Counselor at Brunswick Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pascal Lamy</span> French businessman and political advisor

Pascal Lamy is a French political consultant and businessman. He was the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from 1 September 2005 to 1 September 2013 for 8 years. In April 2009, WTO members reappointed Lamy for a second 4-year term, beginning on 1 September 2009. He was then succeeded by Roberto Azevêdo. Pascal Lamy was also European Commissioner for Trade for 5 years, from 13 September 1999 to 22 November 2004 and is an advisor for the transatlantic think-tank European Horizons, as well as currently serving as the Honorary President of the Paris-based think tank, Notre Europe.

Peter Bain Kenen was an American economist, who was the Walker Professor of Economics and International Finance at Princeton University, and senior fellow in international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peterson Institute for International Economics</span> American think tank focusing on free trade and neoliberal foreign policy

The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), known until 2006 as the Institute for International Economics (IIE), is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was founded by C. Fred Bergsten in 1981 and has been led by Adam S. Posen since 2013. PIIE conducts research, provides policy recommendations, and publishes books and articles on a wide range of topics related to the US economy and international economics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University</span> Public policy school of Columbia University

The School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) is the international affairs and public policy school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university located in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It is consistently ranked one of the leading graduate schools for international relations in the world. SIPA offers Master of International Affairs (MIA) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) degrees in a range of fields, as well as the Executive MPA and Ph.D. program in Sustainable Development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Z. Lawrence</span> South Africa-born American economist

Robert Zachary Lawrence is a South Africa-born American economist and Albert L. Williams Professor of International Trade and Investment at John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is also a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Bates Gill is an American analyst specialized in Chinese foreign policy and politics, currently serving as executive director of Asia Society's Center for China Analysis. He formerly was Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Brad W. Setser is an American economist. He is a former staff economist at the United States Department of the Treasury, worked at Roubini Global Economics Monitor as Director of Global Research where he co-authored the book "Bailouts or Bail-ins?" with Nouriel Roubini, as a fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, for the United States National Economic Council as Director of International Economics, for the United States Department of the Treasury, and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Economic Analysis as senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Edwin (Ted) M. Truman is an American economist specializing in international financial institutions, especially the International Monetary Fund and sovereign wealth funds. He has been a Senior Fellow with the Peterson Institute for International Economics since 2001. Truman has worked quietly over the years on international financial crises issues. Nobel laureate Paul Krugman described Truman as the "George Smiley of international economics".

The Group of Two is a hypothetical and an informal grouping made up of the United States of America and People's Republic of China that was first proposed by C. Fred Bergsten. While the original concept had a strong economic focus, more recent iterations have a more all-encompassing focus. This is the result of the concept gaining more traction with members of the Obama Administration and foreign policy establishment who came to recognize the increasing importance of America's relationship with China. Prominent advocates of the grouping include former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, historian Niall Ferguson, former World Bank President Robert Zoellick and former chief economist Justin Yifu Lin.

Richard T. McCormack is an American government official and diplomat. He has served nearly five decades advising policymakers on foreign affairs and global economic developments. He is currently a senior advisor for CSIS in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek J. Mitchell</span> American diplomat (born 1964)

Derek James Mitchell is an American diplomat with extensive experience in Asia policy. He was appointed by President Barack Obama as the first special representative and policy coordinator for Burma with rank of ambassador, and was sworn in by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on October 2, 2011. On June 29, 2012, the U.S. Senate confirmed him as the new United States Ambassador to Burma. On September 4, 2018, Mitchell succeeded Kenneth Wollack as president of the National Democratic Institute, a position he served until September 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arvind Subramanian</span> Indian economist and political adviser

Arvind Subramanian is an Indian economist and the former Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India, having served from 16 October 2014 to 20 June 2018. Subramanian is currently a Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. He previously served as Professor of Economics at Ashoka University and a Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Center for Global Development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillip Swagel</span> Director of the Congressional Budget Office

Phillip Lee "Phill" Swagel is an American economist who is currently the director of the Congressional Budget Office. As Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy from 2006 to 2009, he played an important role in the Troubled Asset Relief Program that was part of the U.S. government's response to the financial crisis of 2007–08. He was recently a Professor in International Economics at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, a non-resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, senior fellow at the Milken Institute, and co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Financial Regulatory Reform Initiative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Dynan</span> American economist

Karen Dynan is an American economist who is Professor of the Practice of Economics at Harvard University and a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. She previously served as the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and Chief Economist of the United States Department of the Treasury, having been nominated to that position by President Barack Obama in August 2013 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in June 2014. From 2009 to 2013, Dr. Dynan was the Vice President and Co-director of the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution. Prior to joining Brookings, she served on the staff of the Federal Reserve Board for 17 years. Dr. Dynan is an expert on macroeconomic policy, consumer behavior, household finance, and housing policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign Affairs Policy Board</span> Advisory board concerning US foreign policy

The Foreign Affairs Policy Board is an advisory board that provides independent advice and opinion to the Secretary of State, the Deputy Secretary of State, and the Director of Policy Planning on matters concerning U.S. foreign policy. The Board reviews and assesses global threats and opportunities, trends that implicate core national security interests, tools and capacities of the civilian foreign affairs agencies, and priorities and strategic frameworks for U.S. foreign policy. The Board meets in a plenary session several times a year at the U.S. Department of State in the Harry S. Truman Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry G. Broadman</span>

Harry Gerard Broadman is an international investment executive and global business strategist; an authority on trade, antitrust, corporate governance, sustainability, and innovation; and a non-executive corporate director. He is a Partner, managing director, and Chair of the Emerging Markets Practice and Chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) Practice at the Berkeley Research Group LLC and on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Peterson Institute. "C Fred Bergsten Biography". Peterson Institute for International Economics . Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  2. C. Fred Bergsten (October 2012). "Why the Euro Will Survive". Foreign Affairs . Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  3. Bergsten, C. Fred; Gill, Bates; Lardy, Nicholas R.; Mitchell, Derek J. (April 17, 2006). China: The Balance Sheet: What the World Needs to Know Now About the Emerging Superpower. Peterson Institute for International Economics. ISBN   978-1-58648-464-4.