A group of 42 graduate students from the Masters in Public Affairs and Masters in Public Policy programs gathered on September 5-7, 2019 for our intensive short course, Financial Markets for Policy Professionals. Now in it's 10th year, the course provides a framework for future public policy professionals to understand the operations of financial markets, the economic purposes they serve, and the laws and institutions by which they're regulated.

Created in response to the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-08, the course demystifies the world of finance and emphasizes the two-way linkages between financial markets and real economic activity. Since 2010 the course has helped leaders in the public and non-profit sectors gain a basic understanding of financial markets, whether their goals are to finance projects or craft economic policy.

The short course is an important part of the Wilson School’s curriculum, organized and coordinated by the Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy and Finance (JRCPPF) and generously supported by a gift from Noah Gottdiener ’78, CEO of Duff & Phelps.

The instructors include faculty from Columbia Business School (CBS) and Princeton University as well as government officials and financial industry executives.  Lance Eckel of Finance IQ and Michael Johannes from Columbia Business School led the first two days covering equity markets, fixed income, and mortgages and derivatives. Both bring considerable professional experience in the financial services industry, which lends real-world insights to their teaching. The core curriculum is complemented with a series of special topics that evolve from year to year. This year's additional sessions featured Gottdiener on private equity, R.J. Gallo *96 on municipal bond markets; Charles Yi *03 on financial regulation; JRCPPF Postdoctoral Associate Karsten Mueller on financial crises; Donal Byard (Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business) on financial accounting; and Professor Ashoka Mody on the outlook for international financial markets.

The full course program can be found here.  For course photos visit Flickr.