The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) will hold a listening session on Monday, March 4, at 3 p.m. in the DeVoe L. Moore Conference Room (Bellamy 150E) with students and faculty to join the CFR’s American economic leadership listening tour with CFR leaders: Matthew P. Goodman and Allison J. Smith.
As a foundational part of this initiative, CFR is conducting a listening tour over the next year to learn what Americans across the country think about U.S. involvement in the international economy. Matthew P. Goodman, director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies at CFR, and his team will travel to different regions of the United States and engage with a broad array of local officials, business leaders, students, journalists, and others to understand Americans’ perspectives on questions such as:
- Trade. Do you think trade is good or bad for 1) the U.S. economy, 2) the local economy, 3) consumers like you, 4) jobs in the U.S., and 5) your own standard of living?
- Foreign Aid/Development Assistance. Do you think the United States should be providing aid to other countries? Would you say that U.S. foreign assistance mostly benefits, mostly harms, or both benefits and harms developing countries? The United States?
- “Economic Security” (i.e., government policies to reduce risks such as overdependence on China, pandemics, or climate change). Should the U.S. government take action to a) promote investment in strategically important industries, and/or b) reduce U.S. economic dependence on countries like China?
In addition to these topics, the conversations may cover other relevant issues such as foreign investment, climate change, and technology. The views and insights that CFR gains from these conversations will inform Council research and recommendations on U.S. international economic policy. By bringing a broad cross-section of American opinion to the table, CFR hopes to contribute to greater understanding and agreement on the goals and tools of American leadership in the international economy.<\p>
Matthew P. Goodman is a Distinguished Fellow for Global Economic Policy and Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He leads a cross-cutting program on global economics at CFR that works to develop new approaches to trade and other international economic policies. Prior to joining CFR in September 2023, Goodman was senior vice president for economics and Simon chair in political economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Previously, Goodman served as director for international economics on the National Security Council staff, working on the G-20, APEC, and other presidential summits. Before joining the White House, he was senior adviser to the undersecretary for economic affairs at the U.S. Department of State. He has also worked at the Albright Stonebridge Group, Goldman Sachs, and served as U.S. Treasury attaché in Tokyo. Goodman holds an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BSc from the London School of Economics.
Allison J. Smith is the Associate Director for Global Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). She works with the director of CFR’s Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies on the Council’s collaborative initiative on international economic policies. Previously, Smith worked as a consultant conducting anti-money laundering investigations at a major financial institution. Prior to her graduate studies, she worked as a paralegal in the areas of commercial litigation and criminal defense. Smith holds an M.A. in international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. in international relations and a B.A. in Russian from Beloit College.