Jan Švejnar is a leading economist, specializing in developing countries and employment transformation, and the founder of the Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education at Charles University. He served as an economic advisor to former President Vaclav Havel as well as other political leaders in the Czech Republic. A professor at Charles University, he also teaches at the University of Michigan, where he is the director of the Center for International Policy. He is currently backed by the Greens and the coalition government in the upcoming presidential election. He spoke with Lukáš Kovanda on the need for a directly elected president, the economic crisis and the American and Czech educational systems. This interview originally appeared in the Summer 2011