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Persson Hall Auditorium was filled to capacity last week  as students and economics professors discussed the recession and its implications for the long-term health of the U.S. economy.

The panel discussion was the second in a series sponsored by the Economics Department, with the first session held last spring.

Nicole Simpson, associate professor of economics, said it is important for the department to provide a forum for students to take what they hear in the news every day and combine that with what they learn in the classroom.

A wide range of viewpoints was shared by participants, which sparked a series of questions from students in the audience.

Regulation of financial markets, the potential resurgence of Keynesian ideas on fiscal policy and government spending, and a historical look at past recessions and the Great Depression were among the topics discussed.

For Max Krasilovsky-Revell ’11, the Jan. 26 forum was the perfect setting to discuss the economic situation that affects so many people.

“I can’t say I agreed with everything that was stated, but it was a really good forum to ask questions that you had about the economic crisis and to hear a wide variety of views on what we should do going forward,” he said.

The faculty members on the panel were Michael Haines, Jay Mandle, Thomas Michl, Ulla Grapard, Dean Scrimgeour, Simpson, and Don Waldman.