Economy

he New-Old Threat to Economic Freedom

2020-03-07

With politicians proposing policies that would vastly expand the size of the government and its involvement in the economy, it is clear that too many Americans have forgotten the lessons of the twentieth century. As Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman poi

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Inequality and Economic Growth

2020-02-03

Economic policymakers can no longer afford to view inequality as an issue separate from boosting employment and incomes. Addressing it through a wealth tax, combined with more effective antitrust policies and enforcement, has become essential to sustainin

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Is Tech a New Frontier for Sustainability?

2019-12-18

Financial institutions must address the issue of technological sustainability, especially with regard to data, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

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If Wealth Is Justified, so Is a Wealth Tax

2019-12-17

Not surprisingly, American billionaires have dismissed recent wealth-tax proposals as an affront to the entrepreneurial spirit to which they attribute their massive wealth.

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Iran’s New Budget Is Tight, But Not Tight Enough

2019-12-17

Rouhani has taken a remarkably austere fiscal approach ahead of the looming parliamentary election, but the countrys economic situation is still not sustainable over the long run.

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What Kind of Capitalism Do We Want?

2019-12-03

What kind of capitalism do we want? That may be the defining question of our era. If we want to sustain our economic system for future generations, we must answer it correctly.

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How World Bank Arbitrators Mugged Pakistan

2019-12-01

Wall Street hedge funds and lawyers have turned an arcane procedure of international treaties into a money machine, at the cost of the worlds poorest people.

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Will China Confront a Revolution of Rising Expectations?

2019-11-25

Amid much discussion of the challenges facing the Chinese economy, the line-up of usual suspects typically excludes the most worrying scenario of all

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How the IMF Can Battle Gradual Irrelevance

2019-11-24

The convening power of the IMF and the World Bank is unquestionably strong, if not unique. Every year, their annual meetings attract top economic and financial officials from more than 180 countries

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A Living Wage for Capitalism

2019-11-18

Higher nominal wages for low-paid workers can boost real earnings, increase consumer spending, and help make housing more affordable.

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The Digital Money Revolution

2019-11-16

The rapid pace and sheer scale of innovation in digital currencies and mobile payments indicates that a monetary revolution is forthcoming. The choice for governments

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The End of Neoliberalism and the Rebirth of History

2019-11-09

For 40 years, elites in rich and poor countries alike promised that neoliberal policies would lead to faster economic growth, and that the benefits would trickle down so that everyone

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Santiago Under Siege

2019-11-03

At least 19 dead and untold wounded. A half-dozen subway stations attacked with firebombs. Hundreds of supermarkets vandalized and looted.

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The Open Secret of Development Economics

2019-10-29

To many in China, this years Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences seems to have shone a spotlight on one area of development economics at the expense of another. While randomized controlled trials might be useful for creating or improving welfare pro

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How a Weaponized Dollar Could Backfire

2019-10-27

United States foreign policy under President Donald Trump continues to run counter to Americas traditional post-war objectives. Should the US carelessly relinquish leadership of the global multilateral order...

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Argentina Must Not Waste Its Crisis

2019-10-26

To explain Argentinas chronic instability and episodic illiquidity, one must look beyond idiosyncratic leaders, temporary external shocks, and specific policy mistakes.

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Locking China Out of the Dollar System

2019-10-23

By broadening the nexus between economic interest and national security, Trump is encouraging the decoupling of the worlds two largest economies and the emergence of a bipolar world order led by rival hegemons.

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Is Post-Brexit London Really Doomed?

2019-10-22

Despite the likelihood of a harder-than-expected Brexit, and the certain loss of the so-called passport, which would allow financial services to be sold freely across the EU...

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Can Synchronized Stagnation Be Stopped?

2019-10-20

Given the growing risk of economic stagnation, governments may soon need to provide further stimulus – ideally in tandem with broader structural reforms...

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Will Libra Be Stillborn?

2019-10-16

Where the problem for economies and financial services is lack of competition, residents of developing countries need to look to their own regulators and politicians...

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Iraq, China launch oil for reconstruction agreement

2019-10-14

Baghdad has forged a 20-year deal to supply Beijing with oil in exchange for Chinese investments in projects to repair Iraqs war-damaged infrastructure.

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The Global Retreat of Free Trade

2019-09-30

At last months G7 summit in Biarritz, leaders again paid lip service to reforming the World Trade Organization. But, given the US led effort to weaken the WTO

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Four Collision Courses for the Global Economy

2019-09-28

Between US President Donald Trumps zero-sum disputes with China and Iran, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnsons brinkmanship with Parliament and the European Union

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The Return of Fiscal Policy

2019-09-23

With interest rates at record lows and global growth set to continue decelerating, there has rarely been a better time for governments to invest in infrastructure and other sources of...

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