Speaker: Dr. Yale M. Braunstein, School of Information, University of California, Berkeley
Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Location: Jillian’s at Metreon, 101 Fourth Street, Suite 1070, San Francisco

Registration is required. See below for instructions.

After being asked many times for his take on the financial crisis that was developing in mid-2008, Dr. Yale M. Braunstein, Professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information, concluded that the meltdown in the financial markets partially resulted from information failures and any solutions that did not address the information needs would eventually fail. Building on that essay, Dr. Braunstein had his Spring 2009 Economics of Information class put together a 45-page page document called “Give Us the Information Already: A working primer on the role of information and information failures in the ongoing financial crisis and the proposed bailout plans.”

Dr. Braunstein will share his class’ and his own findings on how the lack of information and the lack of understanding available information affected the ability of banks, insurance companies, other corporations, the government, and the ultimately the world to avoid an economic meltdown.

Dr. Braunstein received a B.S. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a doctorate in economics from Stanford University. He is the author or co-author of over 50 articles in the fields of economics and information science and has served as a consultant for several corporations and government agencies in the U.S. and internationally. As an economist, Dr. Braunstein focuses on competition in information products and services, in particular on how new generations of products and technologies alter the commercial landscape for incumbent players. His research areas include economies of scale and scope, pricing, market structure, and the economics of intellectual property rights. His work has been published in the major scholarly journals in economics, information science, and legal policy.

Agenda
5:30-6:30 p.m. Networking and noshing
6:30-8:00 p.m. Program with Q&A following
8:00-8:30 p.m. Dessert

Menu
A variety of appetizers, including rock shrimp skewers with Thai glaze, tomato puffs, crispy vegetable spring rolls, quesadillas, mini burgers, meat and vegetarian pizzas, potstickers, desserts, and more. Soda and iced tea are included, but other beverages must be purchased separately.

Cost
$25 for members; $30 for non-members; and $20 for students, retired, or unemployed

How to Get There
The entrance to Jillian’s is on Fourth Street between Mission and Howard streets.
Public Transportation: Muni/BART Powell Station or Muni bus lines 12, 30, 45, etc.
Parking: Fifth and Mission Parking Garage: http://www.fifthandmission.com/home.htm

Registration
** DEADLINE: Please register online or ensure  your check is received no later than Wednesday, July 29th ** Online registration: http://units.sla.org/chapter/csfo/calendar/regform.htm