The Salem Center for Policy at the McCombs School of Business is pleased to host its second doctoral student symposium designed for Ph.D. candidates in finance, accounting, economics, and related disciplines, who are in the process of developing a financial markets research program. Students will engage researchers from leading universities, industry, and regulatory agencies to learn how academic research influences policy decisions. A series of panel discussions will introduce students to active policy issues, open research questions, and how current developments can motivate and shape a research agenda, including through the lens of journal editors. Selected students will be invited to present their working papers and research ideas to program participants, and uniquely receive combined feedback from academics, practitioners, and regulators.

PROGRAM

The program is comprised of four plenary sessions and eight special tracks centered on areas of financial market regulation. Each track will host a 90-minute student paper presentation session and a 60-minute panel discussion on current industry trends and potential regulatory issues/considerations.

 

Plenary 1. Revisiting the role of academic research in navigating the pandemic
• Tobias Adrian, Financial Counsellor of the IMF
• James Poterba, MIT and NBER
• Jeremy Stein, Harvard University
• Sheridan Titman, University of Texas at Austin (moderator).

Plenary 2. Journal Editors on policy considerations in the editorial process
• Mark Lang, University of North Carolina, Editor, Journal of Accounting and Economics
• Andrew Karolyi, Cornell University, past Executive Editor, Review of Financial Studies (moderator)
• Amit Seru, Stanford University, Co-Editor, Journal of Finance
• Laura Veldkamp, Columbia University, member of Advisory Board, Journal of Economic Theory.

Plenary 3. Measuring Social Equity.
• President Biden directed federal agencies to promote "social welfare, racial justice, environmental stewardship, human dignity, equity, and the interests of future generations” in the regulatory review process. Join a discussion with current and former academics in government on what a future economic (cost-benefit) analysis might look like.

Plenary 4. Economics and Market Effects of Climate Risk.
• With regulators in the US and across the world focusing on the impact of climate risk on economies and markets, hear from senior leaders from government, industry, and academia on how research is driving regulatory considerations and treatment.

SPECIAL TRACKS & CO-CHAIRS

Track 1. FinTech – Cesare Fracassi, University of Texas at Austin; K. Jeremy Ko, Upstart; David Mills, Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Track 2. Banking – Anjan Thakor, Washington University in St. Louis; Joao Santos, New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Track 3. Fraud and Misconduct – John Griffin, University of Texas at Austin; Jennifer Marietta, Cornerstone Research; Daniel Taylor, The Wharton School.

Track 4. Standard Setting, ESG, and Climate – Mary Barth, Stanford University; Jeffrey Hales, University of Texas at Austin; John Schindler, Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Track 5. Asset Management – Sean Collins, ICI; Ananth Madhavan, BlackRock; Russell Wermers, University of Maryland.

Track 6. Corporate Governance and Disclosure – Reena Aggarwal, Georgetown University; Jeffrey Coles, University of Utah.

Track 7. Raising Capital – Jonathan Cohn, University of Texas at Austin; Kathleen Hanley, Lehigh University.

Track 8. Technology and Trading – Jonathan Brogaard, University of Utah; Jonathan Sokobin, FINRA; Kumar Venkataraman, SMU.

 

OTHER PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS & SPEAKERS

Peter Dixon, U.S. SEC; Marco Enriquez, U.S. SEC; Larry Harris, USC; Olga Itenbergo, U.S. SEC, S.P. Kothari, MIT; Igor Kozhanov, U.S. SEC; Craig Lewis, Vanderbilt University; Mattias Nilsson, U.S. SEC; Alex Schiller, U.S. SEC; Chester Spatt, Carnegie Mellon University; Clemens Sialm, University of Texas at Austin; Laura Starks, University of Texas at Austin; Albert S. (“Pete”) Kyle, University of Maryland

 

REGISTRATION

The Conference is open to all students actively enrolled in a Ph.D. program in accounting, finance, economics, or related-discipline at an accredited university. Registration fee for virtual participation is $45. Hardship waivers available for students unable to meet the financial burden. The program is also open to PREDOC students meeting certain eligibility requirements.

PAPER SUBMISSIONS

Students registered for the conference can submit a working paper for potential presentation at no additional cost. It must be relevant to at least one topic area, and can be considered for multiple tracks at the author’s discretion. Submissions will be accepted starting June 18, and decisions will be made by track chairs on a rolling basis beginning June 28 and until all spots are filled. Student papers will be considered for all sessions.