Pitt to Host Economist Peter Diamond at McKay Lecture Nov. 16

PITTSBURGH-Peter Diamond, an Institute Professor in the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will deliver the Marion O'Kellie McKay Lecture, titled "Thinking About Taxes," at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 16, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, 650 Schenley Dr., Oakland.

The presentation will provide an insider's perspective of the American taxation system. Diamond, who is past president of the American Economic Association and the Econometric Society, will discuss such matters as the pattern of tax rates on earnings and capital income and whether taxes should be based on the circumstances of individuals or of families.

Diamond is widely considered one of the major contributors to economic theory during the last-half of the 20th century. He has focused much of his professional career on the analysis of U.S. Social Security policy as well as its analogs in other countries, such as China. In numerous journal articles and books, he has presented analyses of social welfare programs in general and the U.S. Social Security Administration in particular. He has proposed policy adjustments, such as small incremental increases in social security contributions using actuarial tables to adjust for changes in life expectancy.

Diamond is coauthor of "Saving Social Security" (Brookings Institution Press, 2005). He has been president and chair of the Board of the National Academy of Social Insurance and has served on Social Security panels for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and the Congressional Research Service.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Nancy Sciulli at 412-648-1765.

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11/9/07/tmw