Special Perspectives: Dialogue Across the Atlantic: Lester Thurow and Jacques Attali

To gain broader perspectives on the Innovation Economy, we asked two internationally renowned economic theorists to provide their views in a dialogue. Lester Thurow, an American, and Jacques Attali, who is French, each provide world views, which are complementary in how they interpret the economic and political trends that have both changed and have yet to shape our world.

Lester C. Thurow is the Lemelson Professor of Management and Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also directs the Technion Institute of Management in Haifa, Israel. Professor Thurow has authored several leading books including Building Wealth: The New Rules for Individuals, Companies, and Nations in a Knowledge-Based Economy ; The Future of Capitalism: How Today's Economic Forces Shape Tomorrow's World ; and Head to Head: The Coming Economic Battle Among Japan, Europe, and America .

Jacques Attali is a leading French commentator on social and economic affairs. He was adviser to the president of the French Republic from 1981 until 1991, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development from 1991 to 1993, and, since 1993, has been a member of the Council of State in France. He is the author of many books, among them L'anti- conomique , Economie de L'Apocalypse , Verbatim (a three-volume diary of his experiences as an adviser to President Mitterrand), and Millennium: Winners and Losers in the Coming World Order .