The American economy is in the tank, crippled by bad mortgages and badly-behaving banks. Europe’s nations are unfortunately following suit, and no one knows exactly how to fix any of it.

Several intelligent folks have ideas, and a select few got together to discuss them at the Museum of Modern Art as part of the PEN World Voices Festival. The panel was impressive:

- Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman

- Challenge magazine editor Jeff Madrick

- British historian Niall Ferguson

- Billionaire philanthropist George Soros

- Princeton professor Robin Wells

- Former Senator Bill Bradley

- Stern School of Business professor Nouriel Roubini

Each offered their own take on the economic crisis and argued – at times, quite passionately – about potential solutions.

Related: Listen to Paul Krugman on the Brian Lehrer Show and find out what he had to say when Lehrer asked him, “So why aren’t you part of the Obama administration?”

Comment: An economist, a billionaire, a handful of professors, a former senator, and a historian enter a room … and you just heard what happened. How do you think it went? What are the benefits of assembling some of today’s leading thinkers to debate solutions? When has this been done in the past, and what voices would you elect to do it in the future?