Aspen, CO - June 16, 2009 -- The Aspen Institute and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) are jointly sponsoring a conversation, The Financial Crisis: Failure of Capitalism or Failure of Government Policy? The event will take place on Thursday, June 18 from 8:30 am - 10:00 am in the Paepcke Auditorium on the Aspen Meadows campus of the Aspen Institute. The panel will feature Arthur C. Brooks, president of AEI, Professor Martin Feldstein, the George F. Baker chair in Economics at Harvard University, and Peter J. Wallison, the Arthur F. Burns chair in Financial Policy Studies at AEI. Elliot Gerson, executive vice president for Policy and Public Programs at the Aspen Institute will give welcoming remarks and Carolyne Heldman, program director of Aspen Public Radio will moderate the conversation.

The conversation will address the current economic and financial crisis, specifically, whether the root causes of the crisis are a result of the failure of capitalism or the failure of government policy. As government decision-makers stand ready to replace private citizens and free markets, American citizens must decide which system can best promote and ensure their ideals. What caused the current situation and what will the future look like?

The event is free and open to the public. The audience is invited to participate in the question-and-answer portion of the program. Attendees are encouraged to register by calling Reilly Gallagher at the Aspen Institute, (970) 544-7970 or Erin Hoekstra at AEI, (202) 862-7172.

The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a private, nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution dedicated to research on the full range of public policy issues-in economics, in social, cultural, and political matters, and in foreign and defense policy. Founded in 1943 and located in Washington, DC, AEI is home to some of America's most accomplished policy experts. The Institute's community of scholars is committed to expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity, and strengthening free enterprise. AEI pursues these unchanging ideals through independent thinking, open debate, reasoned argument, and the highest standards of research and exposition. In their research and writings, conferences and government testimony, AEI scholars stress empiricism over opinion, fact over folly, and reason over rhetoric. Without regard for political ideology, party, or prevailing fashion, the Institute dedicates its work to improving society and government, in pursuit of a more prosperous, safer, and more democratic nation and world.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC, Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and has an international network of partners.

Aspen Institute

Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org or follow on Twitter @AspenInstitute.

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