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IU BUSINESS OUTLOOK AND PUBLIC POLICY PANEL
TO TOUR MAJOR INDIANA CITIES IN NOVEMBER
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University's Business Outlook Panel will tour the state, visiting a total of 10 cities, beginning with a 7:30 a.m. presentation on Nov. 5 at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis. The panel of IU experts will forecast economic conditions for the state and nation in the coming year, and will discuss current state economic development issues.
The forum will feature faculty members from IU's Kelley School of Business and its Department of Economics, including traveling panelists with varying perspectives on the national and state economies.
Looming large this fall is how much the Asian economic crisis and a growing number of financial problems elsewhere in the world may affect the Hoosier economy, said Morton J. Marcus, director of the Indiana Business Research Center and a panelist at each presentation.
"With everyone in Asia talking about the possibility of a recession, that has to be the chief issue this fall -- whether the Asian difficulties will cause a downturn in the Indiana economy, either directly or indirectly," said Marcus, who added that these growing economic concerns may affect Hoosier efforts to enact tax reform. "The question is whether the state can afford tax reform if the economy is sinking."
The presentations will feature faculty experts in economics and finance, provide an economic forecast, identify key topics of concern to decision-makers in Indiana, and discuss issues likely to be pertinent to the business and government sectors in 1999. The forum experts are known for their ability to accurately predict national, state and local economic trends.
This year's tour is sponsored by the IU School of Business, the IU Alumni Association, IU campuses and local chambers of commerce.
The annual forecast of economic conditions is prepared by a group of IU economists and business professors who specialize in analyzing national and state business conditions. The starting point for the forecast is the Indiana Econometric Model, which combines state statistics and a national forecast to develop projections for the coming year.
Regular panel presenters will be joined in most cities by an economist from that particular area who has prepared a forecast for the area's local economy, and by a state economic development official.
Appearing with the panel this year, in addition to Marcus, will be John Boquist, IU professor of finance; Lawrence Davidson, director of the Global Business Information Network and IU professor of business economics and public policy; R. Jeffery Green, IU associate dean of business and co-director of the Indiana Center for Econometric Model Research; Heejoon Kang, IU professor of business economics and public policy; and Willard Witte, IU associate professor of economics. Moderating most of the panel presentations will be Dan Dalton, dean of the IU School of Business.
Joining the visiting panel for local presentations will be Pat Barkley, Ball State University; Gale Blalock, University of Evansville; Fay Greckel, IU Southeast; Thomas L. Guthrie, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW); Robert J. Kirk, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI); Gary Lynch and Don Coffin, IU Northwest; Dilip Pendse, IU Kokomo; Richard Pfister, IU Bloomington; Patrick Rooney, Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus; and Ashton Veramallay, IU East.
The Business Outlook Panel program was founded in 1972 as a service to bring current economic information to the state's business communities.
For more information about any of the presentations, contact the local sponsoring organization or the IU School of Business Alumni Office at 812-855-6340.
NOTE: Local sponsors and their phone numbers are listed in parentheses.
Fort Wayne: Noon, Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce
Building
(Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, 219-424-1435)
Anderson: Noon, Paramount Theater
(Anderson Chamber of Commerce, 765-642-0264)
Evansville: Noon, Airport Holiday Inn
(Evansville Chamber of Commerce, 812-425-8147)
Bloomington: Noon, Frangipani Room, Indiana Memorial Union, IUB Campus
(Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, 812-336-6381)
(George Vlahakis, Office of Communications and Marketing, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu)