Mark Carney, Alan Greenspan and Adrian Wooldridge in conversation

Policy Exchange is… multidisciplinary, highly influential, a productive force in the heart of Westminster and our political system,” said Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, at a Policy Exchange event with Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Adrian Wooldridge, The Economist’s Bagehot columnist, to launch their new book, Capitalism in America.

Mr Carney added: “It’s at events like this where radical thoughts challenge orthodoxy and a culture of cross-disciplinary thinking fosters the creation of new ideas.

About the book

The book tells the full story of America’s evolution from a small patchwork of threadbare colonies to the most powerful engine of wealth and innovation the world has ever seen. Every crucial debate is covered – from the role of slavery in the antebellum Southern economy; to the real impact of FDR’s New Deal; to America’s violent mood swings in its openness to global trade and its impact.

At heart, the authors argue, America’s genius has been its unique tolerance for the effects of creative destruction, the ceaseless churn of the old giving way to the new, driven by new people and new ideas. Often messy and painful, creative destruction has also lifted almost all Americans to standards of living unimaginable to even the wealthiest citizens of the world a few generations past.

About Alan Greenspan

Alan Greenspan  earned his BA, MA, and PhD in economics from New York University. In 1954, he cofounded the economic consulting firm Townsend-Greenspan & Company. From 1974 to 1977, he served as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors under President Gerald Ford. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed him chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, a position Greenspan held until his retirement in 2006.

About Adrian Wooldridge

Adrian Wooldridge is The Economist‘s political editor and writes the Bagehot column. He earned a doctorate in history for Oxford University. He is the author of nine previous books, including six co-written with John Micklethwait: The Fourth Revolution, The Witch Doctors, A Future Perfect, The Company, The Right Nation, and God is Back.

About Mark Carney

Mark Carney is Governor of the Bank of England and Chair of the Monetary Policy Committee, Financial Policy Committee and the Board of the Prudential Regulation Authority. His appointment as Governor was approved by Her Majesty the Queen in November 2012. The Governor joined the Bank in July 2013. In addition to his duties as Governor of the Bank of England, he serves as Chair of the Financial Stability Board, First Vice-Chair of the European Systemic Risk Board, a Member of the Group of Thirty and the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum.