THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2008

PUBLIC LUNCHEON

SOLD OUT to general members. Members of the Board, President’s Circle, or A.T. Kearney, please call 312-821-7511. 

Release: Global Cities Index

What makes a “global city?” How do capital markets, elite universities, diverse populations, and powerful international organizations impact a city’s influence around the world? The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, A.T. Kearney, and Foreign Policy have teamed up to produce a uniquely comprehensive ranking of cities around the world. Sixty of the world’s most global cities are compared using five different categories of metrics: business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and policy engagement, the last two distinguishing this index from other such rankings. With input from renowned city experts, this new index will be published annually in Foreign Policy magazine.

Leaders from the three institutions behind the Global Cities Index will present highlights of the methodology, results, and correlations. Many top-ranking cities may be usual suspects, but the competition among emerging cities reveals fascinating new insights into the dynamics of development, urbanization, and globalization. Saskia Sassen, the leading global cities expert, will provide insight about what cities around the world need to do to thrive in the global era.

Marshall M. Bouton became president of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs in August 2001 after extensive experience in government and twenty years at the Asia Society in New York.

Paul A. Laudicina is managing officer and chairman of the board of A. T. Kearney. He joined the firm in 1991 and has more than twenty-five years of global consulting and management experience. In 2005, Consulting Magazine named him one of the “Top 25 Most Influential Consultants.”

Saskia Sassen is the Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University. She has received numerous awards for her extensive research, writing, and teaching on globalization and global cities, and is the author of the 1991 book, The Global City.

Blackstone Hotel
636 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605

12:00 noon – 2:00 p.m. Luncheon, presentation, and discussion

Free of charge.