Stiglitz is the Wizard of Oz

A successful financial conference usually requires one or two well-known keynote speakers. Some have an interesting new perspective based on a unique understanding of a topical issue or trend usually derived from their jobs others simply seem to be permanent, highly-paid fixtures on the international conference circuit, rolled out to preach their same tired sermons.

Certainly, the latter are invariably eminent people, clever and often having remarkable achievements behind them for an audience to acknowledge and applaud. Unfortunately, their speeches rarely contain surprises, but instead rely on predictable polemics. Perhaps, it’s the fault of the audience, who arrive with similar expectations to those of a crowd at a rock...