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Bernard L. Schwartz - Infrastructure Investment: Critical to America's Growth and Competitiveness

Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) Director proposes new pension plan for New York City

On March 26, 2012, New York City Comptroller John C. Liu joined SCEPA Director Dr. Teresa Ghilarducci, a nationally renowned expert on pension issues, to announce a new pension plan for the city.  NYC Personal Retirement Accounts (PRAs) will help provide retirement coverage for the nearly two million workers in New York City without access to retirement benefits through their employers. 

The NYC PRA proposal is based on Ghilarducci's State GRA plan that is now being considered by the California state legislature.  The plan would pool employee and employer contributions into retirement funds that would be managed and invested by the Bureau of Asset Management (BAM), a unit of the New York City Comptroller's Office.  BAM is responsible for overseeing the investments of New York City's five employee pension funds.

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Bernard Schwartz joins NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio at Conference

Fund for Public Advocacy exploring investing pension funds in infrastructure projects and other vehicles to spur economic growth

On March 13, 2012, Bernard Schwartz made opening remarks at a conference entitled "Long-term Liabilities and Re-thinking Pension Investments," hosted by Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate of the City of New York, in partnership with the Fund for Public Advocacy.

The conference, which focused on rethinking pension investments, followed previous roundtables that explored pensions and healthcare.

Pension funds for public employees are powerful investors with large amounts of assets.  New York City alone currently has $115.2 billion in assets under management.  Strong investment performance is essential to the long-term financial health of the City.  Investments may be targeted to spur economic drivers such as infrastructure improvements, housing development, and new enterprise - and create jobs along the way.  This roundtable will explore the benefits, risks, and challenges to implementing new ways of investing.

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Thirteen/WNET Produces Documentary on N-YHS

New York's public television station, Thirteen/WNET, has produced "Treasures of New York: The New-York Historical Society," a film that details the history and mission of one of the nation's foremost research libraries and the transformation of New York's first museum.

Bernard Schwartz, who serves as a trustee of both cultural organizations, provided major support for the program and joined WNET president and CEO, Neal Shapiro, and Society president and CEO, Louise Mirrer, and hundreds of guests for the first screening of the film at the Historical Society on December 14, 2011.

Hosted and narrated by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham, the film takes the viewer behind the scenes for an inside look at the days leading up to the 207-year-old museum's grand reopening after its $70 million renovation complete with state-of-the-art installations to connect visitors to history in more ways than ever before imagined.

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The Atlantic and Bernard Schwartz sponsor conference: A Bank to Rebuild America featuring Sens. Kerry, Hutchison and Warner

America's infrastructure is in disrepair - in part because the way we finance it is inadequate.  Thus, bi-partisan support for a national infrastructure bank to help close our infrastructure deficit is growing. 

At this June 8, 2011 event, Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), co-sponsors of the bi-partisan "Build Act," and a host of other experts convened for a conference on what an infrastructure bank would mean for America, how the bank would work, and why they believe such an institution would create jobs and help American business and labor.

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April 30, 2012:

New America announces 2013 Schwartz Fellows.  Read More

Bernard Schwartz established the Fellows Program at NAF to support talented journalists, academics and other public policy analysts who offer a fresh perspective on the major challenges facing our society. 

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March 28, 2012:

Bernard Schwartz and Roosevelt Institute sponsor day-long conference:  Rediscovering Government, featuring Nobel laureate and Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow Joseph Stiglitz and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
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March 13, 2012:

Fund for Public Advocacy:  Long-term Liabilities and Re-thinking Pension Investments.  Bernard Schwartz makes introductory remarks.
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December 14, 2011:

Thirteen/WNET Produces Documentary on New-York Historical Society. 

Bernard Schwartz serves as trustee of both cultural organizations and provided major support.
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June 8, 2011:

The Atlantic and Bernard Schwartz sponsor conference:  A Bank to Rebuild America featuring Sens. Kerry, Hutchison and Warner.
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May 10, 2011:

The New School: The Irene & Bernard L. Schwartz Lecture - Work, Retirement Security & America's Future featuring Andy Stern
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May 6, 2011:

11th Annual Baruch College Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute Symposium
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April 12, 2011:

EPS Bernard Schwartz Symposium: Crisis in the States and Cities - What Should Be Done?
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April 2, 2011:

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee New York Issues Conference: Remarks by Bernard Schwartz
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March 16, 2011:

Center on Law & Public Finance: Reinvesting In America - An Interview with Bernard Schwartz
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March 15, 2011:

U.S. Chamber, AFL-CIO Urge Infrastructure Bank
Bi-Partisan Kerry, Hutchison, Warner BUILD Act Creates Jobs, Strengthens Competitiveness

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March 2011:

The New School: Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis - Annual Report
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February 9, 2011:

The American Interest: Bank On It - A Conversation With Bernard Schwartz
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January 24, 2011:

Third Way Introduces The Bernard Schwartz Initiative on American Economic Policy
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January 19, 2011:

Brandeis University - Schwartz tells Americans to be more responsible
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January 5, 2011:

Financial Times: Now Obama Needs to Talk Up America - by Bernard Schwartz and David Rothkopf
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November 22, 2010:

James C. Scott's 'The Art of Not Being Governed' Wins Asia Society's 2010 Bernard Schwartz Book Award
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Asia Society Press Release

October 1, 2010:

New America Foundation and Economists for Peace and Security: A Strategic Policy - Investment, Social Security and Economic Recovery
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September 9, 2010:

Financial Times: The Right Plan To Tackle America's Twin Crises
by Bernard Schwartz and David Rothkopf
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August 4, 2010

Bernard Schwartz discusses the economy and infrastructure with Charlie Rose
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July 6, 2010:

Bernard Schwartz tells CNBC about his $1.2 trillion jobs plan.
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