Abstract

“A crisis is a terrible thing to waste”. Paul Romer’s statement at a 2004 venture capitalist conference has become a slogan increasingly cited since the onset of the financial crisis. Given the nature of that crisis it would indeed be a shame to waste the opportunity to learn. To do so requires greater understanding of:

• why the crisis happened;
• how it reaches such scales of impact;
• what is being done or not done in response; and
• whether the policies enacted can prevent it happening again.

Considering the range of factors involved, two contrasting perspectives – one from the world of finance, the other from security and science – will aim to catalyse a productive debate.

Speakers

Colm O’Shea, the Founding Partner and Chief Investment Officer of COMAC Capital LLP , one of the leading European-based global macro hedge fund managers with over $5bn of assets under management.

Dr JP MacIntosh, a former research scientist at the MoD, is Director of the Institute for Security & Resilience Studies (ISRS), Honorary Professor, University College London (UCL).