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The Peterson Institute, formerly the Institute for International Economics, is a private, non-profit, and nonpartisan think tank focused on international economics, based in Washington, D.C.. It was founded by C. Fred Bergsten in 1981, in response to a proposal from the German Marshall Fund.^[1]

The Institute's annual budget is about $8 million and it is financially supported by a wide range of charitable foundations, private corporations, and individuals; as well as earnings from the Institute’s publications and capital fund.

The Institute moved into its own award-winning building, designed by James von Klemperer of KPF. It includes full conference and videoconferencing facilities, at 1750 Massachusetts Avenue (The "Embassy Row"), NW, Washington, DC, in the summer of 2001. It is located across from the Brookings Institution, diagonally across from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and next to the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

The institute chairman is the chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and former United States Secretary of Commerce, Peter G.Peterson. Vice chairman is United Technologies Corporation CEO, George David.

Other prominent members of the institute's board of directors include:

• Leszek Balcerowicz, Chairman of the National Bank of Poland;
• Chen Yuan, Governor of the China Development Bank;
• Lord Browne of Madingley, Chief Executive of BP;
• Jessica Einhorn, Dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies;
• Stanley Fischer, Governor of the Bank of Israel;
• Jacob A. Frenkel, Vice-Chairman of American International Group and former Governor of the Bank of Israel;
• Maurice R. Greenberg, former CEO of American International Group;
• Nobuyuki Idei, former Chairman of Sony Corporation;
• Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore;
• Mario Monti, former European Commissioner;
• Paul O'Neill, former United States Secretary of the Treasury;
• David O'Reilly, Chairman of Chevron Corp.;
• James W. Owens, Chief Executive of Caterpillar Inc.;
• David Rockefeller, former chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank;
• Renato Ruggiero, former Director-General of the World Trade Organization;
• Lawrence Summers, former United States Secretary of the Treasury;
• Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank;
• Laura D'Andrea Tyson, former Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisors;
• Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve;
• Marina v.N. Whitman, Professor of Business Administration and Public Policy at the Ross School of Business;
• Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico.

C. Fred Bergsten, previously the assistant secretary for international affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department, has been the director of the IIE since its founding.

The institute attracts some of the most influential former officials and academics as resident senior fellows. They include former Chairman of President Clinton's Council of Economics Advisors, Martin Neil Baily, former chief economist and director of research department at the IMF, Michael Mussa, and former assistant secretary for international affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department, Edwin (Ted) Truman. John Williamson, who coined the term "Washington Consensus" is also a current resident senior fellow.

The following is a list of the current resident senior fellows at IIE:

C. Fred Bergsten (Director), J. Bradford Jensen (Deputy Director), Anders Åslund, William R. Cline, Gary Clyde Hufbauer, Morris Goldstein, Edward Graham, Nicholas Lardy, Catherine Mann, Michael Mussa, Marcus Noland, Adam Posen, Jeffrey J. Schott, Edwin M. Truman, John Williamson.

• Debt and Development - Corruption and Governance, Debt Relief, Foreign Aid/Technical Assistance, Technology and Developing Countries, Transition Economies, World Bank and Regional Development Banks.

• Globalization - Globalization and Environment, Globalization and Labor Issues and Impact, Migration, Politics of Globalization.

• International Finance/Macroeconomics - Exchange Rate Regimes/Monetary Policy, Finance, Investment, and Debt, Global Financial Crises, International Monetary Fund, New Economy and Productivity, World Economy.

• International Trade and Investment - Competition Policy, Corporate Governance/Transparency, E-commerce and Technology, Economic Sanctions, Energy, Foreign Direct Investment, Intellectual Property Rights, Regional Trading Blocs, Services, Tax Policy, WTO and Other Global Institutions.

• US Economic Policy - Economic Sanctions, Foreign Aid/Technical Assistance. Trade Disputes, Trade Promotion Authority, US Monetary/Fiscal Policy, US Trade Policy.

1. ^ Institute for International Economics Renamed in Honor of Founding Chairman Peter G. Peterson. PR Web (October 24th, 2006).

• Peterson Institute website