InEquality: Economic Symposium at Forum Alpbach Launched

InEquality: Forum Alpbach Launched / Picture: © Vindobona.org

The European Forum Alpbach takes on the question of InEquality.

Public discourse goes back and forth between the two positions: the negative outlook describes inequality as a deficiency hampering opportunities and reducing resources, whereas the positive interpretation considers it a driver for change and diversity.

“InEquality” is highly controversial – that’s why hundreds of participants from different backgrounds gather in Alpbach to explore and discuss the many facets of “InEquality”.

Exploring the causes, understanding the repercussions and future developments in respect to “InEquality” takes centre stage.

Pioneers combatting social inequality play a particularly significant role.

Selection of international guests 2015

International speakers from academia, economics, politics, culture, and civil society transform the Tyrolean mountain village of Alpbach into the European summer capital of discourse.

Here’s a first glimpse of the international guests of this year’s forum (selection):

Economic Symposium, September 1 to 3, 2015

Giacomo Corneo (ITA), Italian economist, Thomas Sattelberger (D), long-term manager of Deutsche Telekom, Viviane Reding (L), former EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Daniel Shechtman (IL), Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry & Entrepreneurship Mentor, Sitao Xu (CN), Chief-Economist at Deloitte China

Financial Market Symposium, Steptember 3 to 4, 2015

Jeroen Dijsselbloem (NL), President of the Eurogroup and Dutch Minister of Finance, Hans Peter Lankes, Managing Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Christophe Nijdam (FR), Secretary General of  Finance Watch, Guoli Tian (CHN), Chairman Bank of China

Already taken place:

Seminar Week

Paul Dujardin (B), Director of BOZAR Brussels, Yetnebersh Nigussie (ETH), lawyer and disability rights activist from Ethiopia, Marat Shterin (UK), sociologist at King’s College London, Jeffrey DeLaurentis (US), Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Havana

Health Symposium

Francesca Colombo (ITA), Head of the OECD Health Division, Michael Marmot (UK), Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London

Higher Education Symposium

James Cote (CAN), sociologist at University of Western Ontario, Mary Tupan-Wenno (UK), Head of the European Access Network, Howard Williamson (UK), Director of the Institute for Social Policy at the University of Glamorgan in Wales

Technology Symposium

Bertil Andersson (SWE), President of Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon (F), Head of the European Research Council, Kristina Johnson (USA), Member of Board of Directors at CISCO, Jürgen Mlynek (D), President of the Helmholtz Association

Political Symposium

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate José Manuel Ramos-Horta (East Timor), Kristalina Georgieva (BUL), Vice-President of the European Commission, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (KRO), President of the Republic of Croatia, Borut Pahor (SLO), President of the Republic of Slovenia, Edgars Rinkevics (LETT), Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Michael Roth (D), German Minister of State for European Affairs, Carole Dieschbourg (LUX), Environment Minister of Luxembourg, Vladimir Chizhov (RUS), Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the EU, Stephen O’Brien (UK), UN-Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mari Kiviniemi (FIN), Deputy Secretary-General OECD, Stefan Kapferer (D), Deputy Secretary-General OECD, Guy Cecil (USA), former campaign manager of Hillary Clinton, Ulrike Guérot (D), Head of the European Democracy Lab, Ivan Krastev (BG), Political Scientist, Lord Martin Rees (UK), Professor of Physics at the University of Cambridge, US-Economist Jeffrey D. Sachs (USA), Jordi Vaquer (ES), Head of the Open Society Initative Barcelona, Elisabeth Wehling (D), Cognitive Linguist at the University of Berkeley, Wolfgang Danspeckgruber (AUT), Director Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination/Princeton University, Cesy Leonard (D), Center for Political Beauty Berlin