ISSUES IN LEFT ECONOMICS -- an ongoing lecture/discussion series
presented by New York Union for Radical Political Economics and the Brecht Forum
at the Brecht Forum, 122 West 27th St., 10th floor , 212-242-4201
$6/$8/$10 (sliding scale)
Wednesday, May 15, 7:30 pm
ENRON: THE WEIGHTLESS CORPORATION
Doug Henwood sees Enron's demise as a "rich symbol of the political economy of today ... So much comes together in the Enron story - deregulation, financialization, New Economy fantasies, the links between capital and the state, the increased role for the stock market in the running of big corporations, professional corruption." Nomi Prins, having watched Enron from an insider's vantage point, agrees that Enron is no exception to the rule. She believes that "Wall Street plays multiple ongoing roles in facilitating the creation and unraveling of companies like Enron. Both financial and corporate industries require stricter regulations."
Join us for a discussion of what the Enron saga means: What part of Enron's experience is the exception and what part is the rule? How did the current situation come about? Why did past regulatory systems disintegrate? Can giant corporations and financial institutions really be regulated today? Which problems would regulation solve, and which would remain?
DOUG HENWOOD is the author of "Wall Street," writer/publisher of "Left Business Observer," and host of an economics radio show on WBAI.
NOMI PRINS worked in the financial industry for fifteen years, focusing on credit issues. She recently left her position as Managing Director at Goldman Sachs to pursue a writing career.