La Follette Forum 2022 delves into American Power, Prosperity & Democracy

Overhead view of the Madison isthmus incuding the Monona Terrace
The La Follette School will host its third annual La Follette Forum, funded by the Kohl Initiative, on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. The daylong conference at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center will explore the future of American Power, Prosperity & Democracy. Chaired by Public Affairs and Political Science Professor Mark Coplevitch, the Forum aims to bring together leading experts from academia, journalism, private industry and public policy to explore three of the most serious challenges confronting the United States in decades.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic, economic crises, and the threats they pose to the future of American prosperity.
  • The rise of China and the challenge it poses to the world order and the future of global American power and leadership.
  • The rise of authoritarianism and the threat its poses to the future of American democracy.
The conference will include 90-minute sessions on each of these issues, with subject-area expert presenters and Wisconsin-based panelists engaging in evidence-informed discussion and answering audience questions. The presenters are some of the top names in economic policy and governance:
  • Jamelle Bouie: Columnist, New York Times; Political Analyst, CBS News
  • Paul Blustein: Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation
  • Oriana Skyler Mastro: Center Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University
  • Adam Posen: President, Peterson Institute for International Economics
  • Catherine Rampell: Opinion Columnist, Washington Post
  • Daniel Ziblatt, Eaton Professor of the Science of Government, Harvard University
The La Follette Forum is free to attend, thanks to the Kohl Initiative and Herb Kohl Philanthropies, and will be available for livestream viewing in real-time or after the conference. The in-person event will feature several networking opportunities for participants, including an evening reception. To sign up for updates and receive notification when registration is live. For more information, visit go.wisc.edu/LaFolletteForum.