The Piedmont Economics Club

Now entering its 40th year, the Piedmont Economics Club is South Carolina's oldest civic organization dedicated to the promotion and discussion of economic ideas and thought.

Holding dinner meetings at the Poinsett Club in Greenville, SC, the Club offers its members and their guests the opportunity to hear leading economists, financial analysts, journalists, and government policy makers.

The Club meets six to seven times a year, and always begins its meetings with a 6:00 pm reception and time of fellowship. This is followed by dinner and the speaker's presentation. A time for questions and reflection rounds out the club meeting.

In addition to promoting economic thought and discussion among its members and their guests, the Club seeks to enrich the teaching of economics at area universities. Faculty members at Clemson University, Furman University, and Wofford College enjoy a standing invitation to attend meetings as guests of the Club. The Club also hosts university students as guests.

Fall Programs for 2009-2010

September 8 – Susan Bies. Dr. Bies is former Governor of the Federal Reserve with a career career spent in academia, banking, and as member of key national financial policy organizations. Susan will share insights on the Fed, on activities that led to the 2007-08 financial collapse, and on future prospects for the economy.

October 7 – Robert Lawson. Dr. Lawson leads a center for economic freedom at Auburn University. Robert was the coauthor and project director for the first Economic Freedom Index of the World. He continues to be the leading world figure in measuring and analyzing economic freedom. Robert will discuss his work and what he sees happening to economic freedom around the world.

November 11 – Larry White. Dr. White is the Frederich v. Hayek Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri--St. Louis and a leading scholar in monetary history and policy. Larry has published widely on the relative merits of commodity money and is currently completing a book on history of economic thought. He will share ideas about money and the economy.

January 19 - Doug Woodward. Dr. Woodward is director of research and lead economic forecaster at the University of South Carolina's Moore College of Business. Doug is widely known for his work as a forecaster and for his research on economic development. Dr. Woodward will share his thoughts on the 2010 outlook for the nation, region, and state.

February 16. Robert Ariail. Robert Arial is a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist. His widely published cartoons capture the essence of the risks and uncertainties of economic policies embraced by politicians. Robert will give a presentation on the history of cartooning and will show and comment on a sample of his artistic renderings

March 16. Susan Dudley. In December 2008, Susan Dudley ended a two-year stint as Director of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. As the nation's regulatory czar, Susan oversaw the regulatory activities of the federal government. Susan will tell us about what is going on with regulation in the United States and beyond

Last Season’s Speakers

Michael Schermer -- The Mind of the Market: Evolutionary Economics

Karol Boudreaux -- Enterprise Africa: Can Capitalism Work in Africa?

Richard Ebeling -- Why the Specter of Communism is Still Haunting the World

Mark Vitner -- The Outlook for 2009

Scott Baier -- The Economic Council of Advisors

Gerald O’Driscoll -- Life after the Sub-Prime Mess

Bill Poole -- Monetary Policy Effects on Today’s Economy

Membership Information

Membership is open to all who are interested in the discussion of economic ideas, trends, and related topics.

The membership fee for 2008-2009 is $475.00. Members may bring guests for a fee of $50.00. The regular guest fee is $85.00.

For more information, contact:

Piedmont Economics Club
PO Box 1805
Greenville, SC 29602

Sydney Taylor at sydney@canal-ins.com