University of Chicago Scholar to Give 50th Annual Carl Snyder Memorial Lecture

Robert Townsend, the Charles E. Merriam Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Chicago, will give the 50th Annual Carl Snyder Memorial Lecture at UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, April 29. He will speak on "Evaluating the Financial Systems of Emerging Market Economies: Applied General Equilibrium Development Economics."

His talk begins at 2:30 p.m. in the University Center Corwin Pavilion. It is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, however, and reservations are recommended and may be made by calling the UCSB Department of Economics at (805) 893-3569. A reception will follow the lecture.

The Carl Snyder Memorial Lecture is named for the noted economic authority and author who died in 1946. Established in 1960 with a bequest from the estate of Snyder's wife, Madeleine Raisch, the memorial is used to bring to UCSB outstanding lecturers in the field of economics.

The author of several books, including "The Medieval Village Economy," Townsend has made many valuable contributions to economic theory, including the revelation principle, costly state verification, optimal multiperiod contracts, and financial structure and growth. Among his contributions to econometrics is the study of risk and insurance in developing countries. His forthcoming book, "Financial Systems in Developing Economies: Growth Inequality and Policy Evaluation in Thailand" (Oxford University Press), evaluates the financial system of Thailand and the lessons it provides for developing economies in Asia.

A fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Econometric Society, Townsend has served on the executive board and as assistant director of the National Opinion Research Center. Currently, he consults for numerous financial institutions, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the World Bank, and Banco de España.