Crisis, Rinse, Repeat
Later this century, when economic historians compare the “Great Recession” that started in 2007 with the Great Depression that started in 1929, they will arrive at two basic conclusions.
Donald Trump is playing to lose
America certainly has a different kind of president than what it is used to. What distinguishes Donald Trump from his predecessors is not just his temperament and generalised ignorance, but also his approach to policymaking.
Why low inflation is no surprise
The fact that inflation has remained stubbornly low across the global North has come as a surprise to many economic observers.
Keeping US policymaking honest
In a recent appearance here at the University of California, Berkeley, Alice Rivlin expressed optimism about the future of economic policymaking in the United States. What Rivlin—who served as Vice Chair of the US Federal Reserve,
The new socialism of fools
According to standard economic theory, redistribution only comes about when a country's exports require vastly different factors of production than its imports. But there are no such differences in today's global economy.
Are we richer or poorer than our ancestors?
People today enjoy not just abundance, but an unprecedented variety of choices, which constitutes a significant boost to overall wealth. But just how significant is that boost?
The economic trend is our friend
The world economy is a more equal place for the average individual today than it was in 1980. This is partly thanks to a series of strong leaders, such as those in China since Deng Xiaoping, and in India since Rajiv Gandhi.
A brief history of (in)equality
The Berkeley economist Barry Eichengreen recently gave a talk in Lisbon about inequality that demonstrated one of the virtues of being a scholar of economic history.
Which thinkers will define our future?
What will be taught in the social theory courses of, say, 2070? What canon – written today or still forthcoming – will those who end their careers in the 2070s wish that they had used when they started them in the late 2010s?
Debunking America's populist narrative
One does not need to be particularly good at hearing to decipher the dog whistles being used during this year's election campaign in the United States.
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