Robert Litan, vice president of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation, recently joined Professor Jim Richardson, director of the Masters in Public Administration program at LSU, for a presentation to the LSU Law Center faculty. The subject was Mega-Catastrophes: Perspective as an Economist and Attorney and concerned the legal and economic issues involved in disasters such as those our state recently experienced. Topics ranged from how much legal authority can be given verses how much is constitutional authority; litigation issues such as wind verses water; the need to establish regional councils for crossing state lines for disaster management; and both pre-event and post-event planning need to be implemented.
Litan is an expert in both law and economics and has been affiliated with the Brookings Institution for nearly 20 years where, since 1996, he has served as director of Economic Studies and held the Cabot Family Chair in Economics. He also served on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors and as Deputy Assistant Attorney General. Litan’s recent projects include work on natural and man-made disasters and how a nation can prepare for and recover from them. Often called “Dr. Doom” by friends, he is interested in studying public policy surrounding terrorism, pandemics, and natural disasters.
Professor Richardson is the Harris J. and Marie P. Chustz Distinguished Professor in Business Administration at LSU and has been a member of the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference since 1987, where he currently serves as chair.
The informative presentation was part of the Brown Bag Faculty Lunch Series at the Law Center.
