[5 March 2002]
Nobel Laureate Lawrence Klein to speak at Singapore Management University Distinguished Lecture Series

Lecture to Address Improving Accuracy in Economic Forecasting

Professor Lawrence R. Klein, 1980 Nobel Laureate in Economics, will deliver a lecture entitled "Short-Term Forecasting: Fact or Fiction?" at the Singapore Management University (SMU) Distinguished Lecture Series on 12 March 2002, 5.30pm.

An illustrious econometrician having constructed several statistical models of the US and various other countries, Professor Klein will speak on drawing upon developments in IT to improve the accuracy in economic forecasting.

With ongoing economic uncertainty and countries experiencing a global recession, improvements to enhance accuracies in economic forecasting are critical. During the lecture, Professor Klein will discuss high-frequency forecasting, researched for over 10 years at the University of Pennsylvania, with specific applications to the US economy. Citations and references for similar work done in Japan, France, Hong Kong and Mexico will be highlighted and the latest sample surveys of consumers and businesses will also be covered at the lecture.

Lawrence Klein was educated at the University of California, Berkeley (BA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ph.D.). He was the Benjamin Franklin Professor of Economics and Finance at Pennsylvania, where he taught for 33 years, and is now Benjamin Franklin Professor, emeritus.

Klein founded the Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates at Pennsylvania and was a principal investigator of Project LINK, which combined models from countries throughout the world for studying international trade, payments, and global economic activity.

In 1976 he coordinated Jimmy Carter's economic task force in a successful campaign for Presidency of the United States. Since 1984 he has been Director and Chairman of the Economic Policy Committee of W.P. Carey & Co. In 1980, he was awarded the Nobel Laureate in Economics.

Chairing this SMU Distinguished Lecture Series will be Roberto S Mariano, Professor of Economics and Statistics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Members of the public are invited to attend the lecture at the SMU Auditorium which begins with a reception at 5pm, followed by the lecture at 5.30 and a Q & A session.