The most famous economics seminar at Harvard University in the history of economics is undoubtedly the fiscal policy seminar run by John Williams and Alvin Hansen. A list of that seminar’s speakers and their topics was included in an earlier post. Below I provide the reported speaker’s and topics for the “younger” international economic relations seminar jointly organized by Gottfried Haberler and Seymour Harris during the War years.
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EXPANSION OF THE SEMINAR PROGRAM
Several additions have been made in the seminar program of the School [of Public Administration] for the year 1940-1941. Professors Haberler and Harris are presenting a seminar on international economic relations. We planned our seminar program in 1937 on the assumption that it was wise to begin with domestic problems despite the fact that a number of the Faculty had special interests in the international field. In view of the events of the last few years, it seems highly important to develop these interests. The seminar given by Professors Haberler and Harris deals with the application of the principles of international trade to current problems…
Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College and Reports of Departments for 1939-40, p. 306.
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1940-41
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS SEMINAR
[partial list]
[Seven of the meetings of the Fiscal Policy Seminar were held jointly with other seminars – four with the International Economic Relations Seminar and three with the Agricultural, Forestry, and Land Policy Seminar.]
October 11. SVEND LAURSEN, Student, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University.
Subject: International Trade and the Multiplier. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy Seminar.)
February 21. HARRY D. WHITE, Director, Division of Monetary Research, United States Treasury Department.
Subject: Blocked Balances. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy Seminar.)
March 21. RICHARD V. GILBERT, National Defense Advisory Commission.
Subject: The American Defense Program. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy Seminar.)
May 2. GUSTAV STOLPER, Financial Adviser.
Subject: Financing the American Defense Program. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy Seminar.)
Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College and Reports of Departments for 1940-41, p. 323 ff.
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INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS SEMINAR:
1941-1942. Professor Haberler and Associate Professor Harris
In 1941-42 the seminar devoted its attention to war and post-war problems in the field of International Economic Relations. A few meetings were spent on the discussion of fundamental theoretical problems. During the first semester all meetings were taken up by papers of outside consultants and their discussion. In the second semester student reports were presented and discussed, and a few extra meetings were arranged for outside speakers. The consultants and their topics were as follows:
October 1. EUGENE STALEY, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Economic Warfare.
October 8.[**] CHARLES P. KINDLEBERGER, Federal Reserve Board. Canadian-American Economic Relations in the War and Post-War Period.
October 15.[**] A. F. W. PLUMPTRE, University of Toronto. International Economic Position of Canada in the Present Emergency.
October 22. HEINRICH HEUSER, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Exchange Control.
October 29. FRITZ MACHLUP, University of Buffalo. The Foreign Trade Multiplier.
November 5. HENRY CHALMERS, United States Department of Commerce. Trade Restrictions in Wartime.
November 12. ARTHUR R. UPGREN, United States Department of Commerce. International Economic Interest of the United States and the Post-War Situation.
November 19. OSKAR MORGENSTERN, Princeton University. International Aspects of the Business Cycle.
November 28.[*] NOEL F. HALL, British Embassy. Economic Warfare.
December 5.[*] ROBERT BRYCE, Department of Finance, Canada. International Economic Relations with Special Reference to the Post-War Situation.
January 26.[*] PER JACOBSSEN, Bank for International Settlements. The Problem of Post-War Reconstruction.
February 13.[*] JACOB VINER, University of Chicago. Monopolistic Trading and International Relations.
February 18. H. D. FONG, Director, Nankai Institute of Economics, Chungking, China. Industrialization of China.
February 25. MICHAEL HEILPERIN, Hamilton College. International Aspects of the Present and Future Economic Situation.
March 11. JACOB MARSCHAK, New School for Social Research. The Theory of International Disequilibria.
March 14.[*] RICHARD M. BISSELL, JR., Yale University and the United States Department of Commerce. Post-War Domestic and International Investment.
March 18. ANTONIN BASCH, Brown University. International Economic Problems of Central and Southeastern Europe.
March 20.[*] ALBERT G. HART, University of Iowa. The Present Fiscal Situation.
April 10. ABBA P. LERNER, University of Kansas City. Post-War Problems.
May 8. HORST MENDERSHAUSEN, Bennington College. International Trade and Trade Policy in the Post-War Period.
Six of these were joint meetings with the Fiscal Policy Seminar [*] and two were joint meetings with the Government Control of Industry Seminar[**].
Student reports were presented on the following subjects:
Argentine International Trade.
Exchange Control in Argentina.
Some Aspects of Sino-Japanese Trade.
International Effects of Price Ceilings.
Location Theory and the Reconstruction of World Trade.
Some Post-War Politico-Economic Problems of the Western Hemisphere.
Economic Problems and Possibilities of a Pan Europe, Pan America and Similar Schemes.
The Balance of Payments of China.
Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College and Reports of Departments for 1941-42, pp. 344-346.
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INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS SEMINAR
1942-43. Professor Haberler
A larger portion of the time of the seminar than usual was devoted to the discussion of fundamental principles of international trade and finance. This was due to the fact that the graduate course on international trade (Economics 143) was not offered, and the seminar had to take over to some extent the functions of the graduate course.
There were eleven meetings with outside consultants, of which eight were joint meetings with the Fiscal Policy seminar. The smaller number of students made it advisable to combine the two seminars more frequently than usual. The consultants and the topics discussed with them were as follows:
November 13. Professor FRITZ MACHLUP, University of Buffalo. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy seminar.)
Subject: National Income, Employment and International Relations; the Foreign Multiplier.
November 18. Dr. THEODORE KREPS, Economic Adviser, Board of Economic Warfare, Office of Imports.
Subject: Some Problems of Economic Warfare.
November 27. Hon. GRAHAM F. TOWERS, Governor, Bank of Canada. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy seminar.)
Subject: Canadian War Economic Measures.
December 4. LYNN R. EDMINSTER, Vice-Chairman, U. S. Tariff Commission. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy seminar.)
Subject: Post-War Reconstruction of International Trade.
December 11. Professor SEYMOUR E. HARRIS, Director, Office of Export-Import Price Control, Office of Price Administration. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy seminar.)
Subject: Trade Policy in Wartimes.
February 12. THOMAS MCKITTRICK, President, Bank for International Settlements. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy seminar.)
Subject: The Bank for International Settlements.
February 24. Dr. LEO PASVOLSKY, State Department. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy seminar.)
Subject: Post-War Problems in International Trade.
March 3. P. T. ELLSWORTH, War Trade Staff, Board of Economic Warfare.
Subject: The Administration of Export Control.
April 12. EMILE DESPRES, Office of Strategic Services, Washington, D. C. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy seminar.)
Subject: The Transfer Problem and the Over-Saving Problem in the Pre-War and Post-War Worlds.
April 16. Dr. ALBERT HAHN. (Joint meeting with Fiscal Policy seminar.)
Subject: Planned or Adjusted Post-War Economy.
April 20. Dr. ALEXANDER LOVEDAY, League of Nations.
Subject: European Post-War Reconstruction.
Student reports were presented on the following subjects among others: practice and theory of an international bank; post-war industrialization of China; coordination of fiscal policy in different countries; international position of the Brazilian economy; international commodity agreements; international implications for fiscal policy; British exchange equalization account; and Argentine exchange control.
Twelve students were enrolled in the seminar of which four were Littauer fellows, seven graduate students from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and one from the College.
Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College and Reports of Departments for 1942-43, pp. 246-247.
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INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS SEMINAR
1943-44. Associate Professor Harris
A new approach was tried in the International Economic Relations Seminar this year. We paid particular attention to the international economic problems of Latin America and especially to the problems raised by the great demand for Latin American products for war, the expansion of exports and of money, and the resulting inflation. Attention was also given to the transitional problems in the postwar period, particularly to the adjustments that will be required in exports, imports, capital movements, exchange rates, and the allocation of economic factors. In the course of the year leading government authorities on Latin American economic problems were invited to address meetings of the seminar, which were frequently joint meetings with the Fiscal Policy Seminar or the students of the graduate course in international organization.
The schedule of meetings for 1943-44 was as follows:
November 12. Professor HARRIS.
Subject: Inflation in Latin America.
December 9. Dr. CORWIN EDWARDS, Chairman, Policy Board of the Anti-Trust Division of the Department of Justice and Chief of Staff of the Presidential Cooke Commission to Brazil.
Subject: Brazilian Economy.
December 17. Dr. HARRY WHITE, Director of Monetary Research, Treasury Department.
Subject: Problems of International Monetary Stabilization.
January 6. Professor HARRIS.
Subject: International Economic Problems of the War and Postwar Period.
January 10. Professor HABERLER.
Subject: Reparations.
January 14. Dr. N. NESS, Member, Mexican-U. S. Economic Commission.
Subject: Mexico.
January 17. Dr. BEARDSLEY RUML, Chairman, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Subject: Economic Budget and Fiscal Budget.
January 21. Dr. P. T. ELLSWORTH, Economic Studies Division, Department of State.
Subject: Chile.
January 24. Dr. DON HUMPHREY, Special Advisor on Price Control to Haitian Government; Chief, Price Section, O.P.A.
Subject: Haiti.
January 31. Dr. ROBERT TRIFFIN, Member, U. S. Economic Commission to Paraguay.
Subject: Money, Banking, and Foreign Exchanges in Latin America.
February 4. Dr. MIRON BURGIN, Office of Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs.
Subject: Argentina.
February 9. Dr. FRANK WARING, Director, Research Division, Office of Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs.
Subject: Broad Aspects of Latin-American Economics.
February 10. Dr. BEN LEWIS, Head of Price Control Mission to Colombia, Special Assistant to the Price Administrator.
Subject: Colombia.
March 9. Dr. HENRY CHALMERS, Department of Commerce.
Subject: Inter-American Trade Practices.
March 31. Mr. HENRY WALLICH.
Subject: Fiscal Policy and International Equilibrium.
Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College and Reports of Departments for 1943-44, pp. 271-2.
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INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS SEMINAR
Professor Haberler and Associate Professor Harris
The seminar meetings in the year 1944-1945 may be arranged under the following headings:
- Exchanges, Controls, and International Trade (8 meetings)
- Regional Problems (8 meetings).
- Regional and International Aspects of Domestic Problems (8 meetings).
- Lectures and Discussions on International Trade by Professors Haberler and Harris (8 meetings).
Four of the papers presented at these meetings were subsequently published in economic journals.
The schedule of meetings for 1944-1945 was as follows:
November 16. Dr. RANDALL HINSHAW, Federal Reserve Board.
Subject: American Prosperity and the British Balance-of-Payments Problem. (Published in the Review of Economic Statistics, February 1945.)
December 11. EDWARD M. BERNSTEIN, Assistant Director, Division of Monetary Research, Treasury Department.
Subject: The Scarcity of Dollars. (Published in The Journal of Political Economy, March 1945.)
December 15. Dr. FRANCIS MCINTYRE, Representative of the Foreign Economic Exchange on Requirements Board of the War Production Board.
Subject: International Distribution of Supplies in Wartime.
December 21. Dr. ALEXANDER GERSCHENKRON, Federal Reserve Board.
Subject: Some Problems of the Economic Collaboration with Russia.
January 11. Dr. WOLFGANG STOLPER, Swarthmore College.
Subject: British Balance-of-Payments Problem After World War I.
January 22. Dr. WALTER GARDNER, Federal Reserve Board.
Subject: Some Aspects of the Bretton Woods Program.
January 26. Dr. WILLIAM FELLNER, University of California.
Subject: Types of Expansionary Policies and the Rate of Interest.
January 29. Professor WALTER F. BOGNER, Dr. CHARLES R. CHERINGTON, Professors CARL J. FRIEDRICH, SEYMOUR E. HARRIS, TALCOTT PARSONS, ALFRED D. SIMPSON, and Mr. GEORGE B. WALKER.
Subject: The Boston Urban Development Plan.
March 5. Dr. ROBERT TRIFFIN, Federal Reserve Board.
Subject: International Economic Problems of South America.
March 19. Dr. LOUIS RASMINSKY, Foreign Exchange Control Board, Ottawa, Canada.
Subject: British-American Trade Problems from the Canadian Point of View. (Published in the British Economic Journal, September I945.)
March 22. Dr. ROBERT A. GORDON, War Production Board.
Subject: International Raw Materials Control: War and Postwar.
March 26. Dr. HERBERT FURTH, Federal Reserve Board.
Subject: Monetary and Financial Problems in the Liberated Countries.
April 2. Dr. LLOYD METZLER, Federal Reserve Board.
Subject: Postwar Economic Policies of the United Kingdom. (An article based on this paper and written in collaboration with Dr. RANDALL HINSHAW was published in The Review of Economic Statistics, November 1945.)
April 16. Professor EDWARD S. MASON, State Department, Washington.
Subject: Commodity Agreements.
April 23. Dr. ABBA P. LERNER, New School for Social Research, N. Y.
Subject: Postwar Policies.
April 27. Professor JOHN VAN SICKLE, Vanderbilt University.
Subject: Wages and Employment: A Regional Approach.
May 14. Dr. E. M. H. LLOYD, United Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, British Treasury.
Subject: Inflation in Europe.
May 28. Professor LEON DUPRIEZ, University of Louvain, Belgium.
Subject: Problem of Full Employment in View of Recent European Experience.
May 29. Professor SEYMOUR E. HARRIS, Professor WASSILY W. LEONTIEF, Professor GOTTFRIED HABERLER, Professor ALVIN H. HANSEN.
Subject: The Shorter Work Week and Full Employment.
Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College and Reports of Departments for 1944-45, pp. 285-6.