On February 16 the Law School hosted a talk by the 12th Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, Governor Gabriel Makhlouf, on the theme of ‘Central Banks, economic stability and social capital: what’s the connection?’ (the speech is available here). The Governor’s speech was followed by panel comments from Professor David Kershaw (Dean, LSE Law School) and Professor Alan Dignam (honorary KC, Queen Mary Law School) and an audience Q&A. The event, in the Shaw Library, was introduced by Professor Niamh Moloney and chaired by LSE President and Vice Chancellor, Minouche Shafik, and was followed by a reception, accompanied by a piano recital by LLB student, Deborah Tang.
[left to right, Professor Niamh Moloney, Governor Gabriel Makhlouf, Vice Chancellor, Minouche Shafik, Professor Alan Dignam, Professor David Kershaw]
In his talk the Governor considered how central banks can help build social capital by delivering on their price stability mandate and highlighted how inequality matters for the delivery and effectiveness of central bank policies. He also suggested that a central bank that nurtures social capital requires a strong institutional framework that is designed for the longer term.
Gabriel Makhlouf took up his position as Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland on 1 September 2019. He chairs the Central Bank Commission, is a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank, a member of the European Systemic Risk Board, and is Ireland’s Alternate Governor at the International Monetary Fund. Before joining the Central Bank, Gabriel was Secretary to the New Zealand Treasury and the Government’s chief economic and financial adviser from 2011 to 2019.
