The Price 
of War
Understanding
Conflict Economics
in a Volatile World

A Symposium on Conflict Economics

Moderated by Iain Martin of The Times


Key information


Date
December 1st, 2022
Location
Smeaton Room, One Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA, UK

Agenda


09:00
Registration
09:45
Panel 1 - World transformed - the economic impact of war

Moderated by Iain Martin, Reaction and The Times

Gerry Baker, Wall Street Journal | Professor Peter Frankopan, University of Oxford | Tim Marshall, Journalist and Author

The opening panel will set the scene for the conference with a big-picture conversation exploring the geopolitical and economic forces driving conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and how the war has altered the global picture.

How has the Ukraine war rewired the global economy? Are we coming out of a period where we thought war was something that happens in a different time and place? And how have the economic ripples of major conflicts shaped societies over the centuries?

11:00
Panel 2 - Investing in an era of conflict

Moderated by Maggie Pagano, Editor of Reaction

Simon French, Panmure Gordon | Baroness Helena Morrissey, Founder, 30% Club | Merryn Somerset Webb, Bloomberg

Conflict adds layers of complexity to choices about where and how to invest, but also presents opportunities. Panel Two will focus on the impact of war - in Ukraine and elsewhere - on investment decision-making in business, finance and government.

Is the age of ESG over? What do investors have to factor in when facing a long-term energy crisis? And should you invest in China?

13:45
Panel 3 - Better supply: the wiring of the world economy

Moderated by Adam Boulton, broadcaster

John Atherton, Accenture | Steve Guppy, Crown Agents | Sam Olsen, Evenstar | Jennifer Powers, Policy Consultant | Arthur Snell, Geopolitical Consultant

The pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and a hostile China have shown just how brittle global supply chains can be. Panel Three will explore how we can make supply chains more resilient in a time of international conflict.

Are we moving from an open to a closed world? Are renewables the way to go in our quest for energy security? And how can AI and cloud tech help make supply chains stronger?

14:45
Martin Wolf in conversation with Adam Boulton
15:30
Panel 4 - Future-proofing – what’s next in economics?

Interviewed by Adam Boulton

Alan Brown, Artemis | Christian Ochsner, CERGE-EI | Kate Andrews,The Spectator

We're seeing the end of a period of relative certainty about monetary policy and a Europe free of war. The final panel will look to the future, and ask how economists, market participants and politicians should adapt their assumptions about interest rates, inflation and security in this new world.

Has global economic theory been trashed or vindicated? Can we trust central banks? And what can great economic theorists teach us about the times we’re living through?

16:30
In conversation - Professor Stephen Kotkin, Stanford University

Interviewed by Iain Martin

16:55
Concluding Remarks