Washington, DC. (08/04/2020). The 3rd series of BIANKA or Bincang Karya, a serial-webinar held by the Indonesian Embassy in Washington D.C., USA through the Attaché for Education and Culture, carries the theme “United States Economic Recovery Strategy”. The webinar was chaired by Prof. Popy Rufaidah, the Education and Cultural Attaché.
The recorded live event of BIANKA Seri-3 can be accessed in the following link http://bit.ly/fb-watch-bianka3
This webinar was attended by Prof. Stephen Smith, Department Chair of the Economics, George Washington University; Prof. Graham Bird, Co-Chair of the Department of Economics Sciences at Claremont Graduate University (CGU) as well as Co-Director of the Claremont Institute of Economic Policy Studies; and Rully Prasetya, LPDP awardee at George Washington University; Yudistira Surjadi Slamet from the Department of Economics Sciences, Claremont Graduate University; Bima Dwipayudhanto, Counselor for Economic Affairs – Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Washington, DC; and Prof. Abdul Haris, representative of The Indonesian State University Rectors Council.
On this occasion, Prof. Smith explained the importance of supporting higher education as an effort to move forward and avoid the middle-income trap. It is equally important to exchange ideas and find innovations with researchers around the world, one of which can be done at George Washington University. The campus has a number of advantages such as in terms of location, facilities and the academic system.
Apart from Smith, Prof. Bird from the Department of Economics Sciences of Claremont Graduate University (CGU) also revealed the strengths of the university, especially in the fields of applied microeconomics, financial and financial economics, and economic data analysis. According to Prof. Bird, CGU always puts forward real economic problems, not just abstract economic theories. Although it is small, CGU has many institutions and research centers, one of which is The Claremont Institute for Economics and Policies Studies.
Another presentation was delivered by Rully Prasetya, a doctoral candidate from George Washington University. Mr. Prasetya explained several things related to the United States economic recovery strategy from Covid-19. He also delivered an analysis of the effectiveness of the strategy and the possibility of implementing that strategy in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Yudistira Surjadi Slamet from the Department of Economics Sciences, Claremont Graduate University explained the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Indonesian Rupiah Exchange Rate, especially on the policy strategy of the United States. Mr. Slamet also explained the impact of capital flows due to the crisis that occurred globally as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. In addition, he also discussed a little about his research, namely the trilemma regarding public debt, exchange rates and interest rates.
Another speaker, Mr. Bima Dwipayudhanto, explained the role of the Indonesian Embassy in Washington D.C. in Indonesia’s economic recovery. In addition, Prof. Abdul Harris, who represented the Indonesian State University Rectors Council, also delivered his presentation on the role of education in the economic recovery of the United States through the GIS Turnaround Program strategy. According to Prof. Harris, education plays an important role in post-Covid economic recovery, especially higher education.