Events at CERGE-EI
Monday, 11 May, 2026 | 15:00 | Room 7 | Public Lecture
CANCELLED: John Bates Clark Medal Talks: Oleg Itskhoki
UPDATE: We are very sorry to let you know that the John Bates Clark Medal Talks series lecture by Oleg Itskhoki lecture scheduled for May 11 had to be cancelled. We regret that we will not be able to meet on this occasion and hope to welcome you at one of our other Anniversary events, including Philippe Aghion’s lecture on May 28.
A new CERGE-EI series presenting the research of outstanding young economists who have recently received the John Bates Clark Medal. The first speaker in the series is Oleg Itskhoki of Harvard University, a leading macroeconomist working on international trade and finance.
The Optimal Macro Tariff
Can tariffs protect jobs, strengthen industry, and reduce trade deficits? This public lecture introduces new economic research showing that tariffs do much more than change the price of imported goods. They also affect exchange rates, international capital flows, and the balance between a country’s debts and assets in the global economy.
Focusing on the United States, the talk explains why the effects of tariffs are often very different from what political debates suggest. Rather than simply making a country stronger, tariffs can shift adjustment into financial markets and currency movements, with uncertain consequences for growth, inequality, and global stability. The lecture offers an accessible introduction to the hidden economic forces behind today’s trade conflicts.
The John Bates Clark Medal Talks lecture series at CERGE-EI was supported by Pale Fire Capital.








