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Politics, economics and more on tap for Renaissance Academy discussion
Noted Canadian-born economist Rodrigue Tremblay to speak
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One of Marco Island’s many distinguished residents will give Marco Islanders the benefit of his expertise on economic cycles April 4 as part of a Renaissance Academy course, sponsored by Florida Gulf Coast University.
Rodrigue Tremblay, professor emeritus of economics and international finance at the University of Montreal, will head up a luncheon discussion at the Marco Island Yacht Club as part of FGCU’s Lunch & Lecture Series.
Tremblay, a Canadian-born economist, is a prolific author, former member of the National Assembly of Quebec and former minister of industry and trade in the Government of Quebec from 1976 to 1979. His upcoming book, “The Code for Global Ethics,” takes a look at humanism and the way it can be used to shape morality.
He said his lecture will leave plenty of room for questions, and the tenor of the discussion will partly be driven by audience participation. However, he said he will focus mainly on various cycles in the economy that drive the overall financial health of the United States and the world.
He points to wars and housing crises as two cycles that drive economic downturns. Wars lead to periods of inflation, disinflation and deflation lasting 54 to 60 years, while housing cycles run 18 to 20 years, he argues.
“Now, these two big cycles are coming down at the same time, so it’s going to be more serious,” he said in an interview Wednesday.
He also argues for a larger 100-year cycle of political discourse, which places the present-day United States in an era similar to that of the McKinley administration at the turn of the 20th century. Moreover, Tremblay said the political debates on the American horizon will mirror those of the Jeffersonian era regarding the need for centralized versus decentralized government.
“It touches economics, politics, geopolitics,” Tremblay said of his lecture. “It’s a total picture of the story of the U.S.”
Tickets for the April 4 lecture and luncheon on are $40 for Renaissance Academy members and $45 for non-members. Lunch begins at 12 and the lecture begins at 12:45.
To register, call Florida Gulf Coast University at 590-1095 by April 1. Those interested can also contact Fay Biles, the Marco Island coordinator for Renaissance Academy, at 394-3089.
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