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James Livingston

James Livingston

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James Livingston, Professor Emeritus of History at Rutgers University, is the author of six books, including No More Work: Why Full Employment Is a Bad Idea (The University of North Carolina Press, 2016), and the forthcoming The Intellectual Earthquake: How Pragmatism Changed the World, 1898-2008 (University of Chicago Press).

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  1. Abundance and Its Discontents
    op_livingston6_cienpies_handsmoney cienpies/Getty Images

    Abundance and Its Discontents

    Mar 7, 2025 James Livingston asks why the absence of economic scarcity is viewed as a problem rather than a cause for celebration.

  2. The Brutes’ New Suits
    op_livingston5_Spencer PlattGetty Images_wallstreet Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The Brutes’ New Suits

    Oct 18, 2024 James Livingston asks why so many observers now believe that banks are running a con game.

  3. Two Cheers for Identity Politics
    livingston4_ KAMIL KRZACZYNSKIAFP via Getty Images_prideparade Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

    Two Cheers for Identity Politics

    Jun 21, 2024 James Livingston argues that critics of the contemporary focus on issues of race, gender, and sexuality are ignoring history.

  4. What Was Capitalism?
    op_livingston4_PolinmrGetty Images_capitalism money Polinmr/Getty Images

    What Was Capitalism?

    Feb 16, 2024 James Livingston asks whether those at the commanding heights of today's economy are steering us toward feudalism or fatuousness.

  5. Neoliberal Minority Rule
    livingston3_GIORGIO VIERAAFP via Getty Images_desantistrumpflorida Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images

    Neoliberal Minority Rule

    Nov 1, 2023 James Livingston says that the question is no longer how, but whether, free markets can serve democracy’s cause.

  1. weglarczyk1_Justin TallisGettyImages_europe_security_summit Justin Tallis/Getty Images
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    Europe, United, Will Never Be Defeated!

    Bartosz Węglarczyk identifies the main obstacle to the development of an effective defense strategy in the absence of US support.
  2. strain37_Spencer PlattGettyImages_trump_stock_market Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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    Why Is Trump Undermining the US Economy?

    Michael R. Strain

    Although Donald Trump got off to a good start, with equity prices hitting all-time highs in anticipation of pro-growth policies, investor confidence has vanished, tanking the stock market. With the president deliberately undermining the foundations of US prosperity, one must ask why he is doing it, and what could stop him.

     offers three explanations for a set of policies that have sent investor confidence into a tailspin.
  3. berglof40_Geoff RobinsGettyImages_trade_tariffs_cars Geoff Robins/Getty Images
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    How to Lose a Decade

    Erik Berglöf & Nahom Ghebrihiwet warns that a trade war will harm economic growth and decarbonization, with developing countries hit hardest.
  4. tharoor200_Jim WatsonGettyImages_trump_modi_trade Jim Watson/Getty Images
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    Will Trump’s Tariffs Derail India’s Economy?

    Shashi Tharoor

    The US administration’s plan to impose “reciprocal” import tariffs could severely curtail key Indian exports, including chemicals, metals, auto parts, and pharmaceuticals, leading to job losses and undermining fiscal stability. India has little choice but to lower its own tariffs while negotiating improved access to the US market.

     urges policymakers to brace for the impact – known and unknown – of the US administration’s trade policies.
  5. hamada69_The Washington PostGettyImages_trump_speech The Washington Post/Getty Images
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    Countering Trump’s Politics of Fear

    Koichi Hamada calls for a new set of policies that responds to, rather than dismisses, US voters’ legitimate fears.
  6. galen5_Andrew HarnikGetty Images_trumpcongress Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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    Where Are the Democrats?

    Reed Galen lambasts the party for sitting by and watching America implode, in the misguided hope of winning the midterms.
  7. moyo34_Spencer PlattGetty Images_NYSE Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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    Signs of a US Recession

    Dambisa Moyo catalogues several indicators suggesting that the world's largest economy is headed for a slump.
  8. goldberg32_Spencer PlattGetty Images_USshipping Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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    Trump’s Trade War

    Less than two months into his second presidency, Donald Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on America’s three largest trading partners, with much more to come. This strategy not only lacks any credible theoretical foundations; it is putting the US on a path toward irrevocable economic and geopolitical decline.

  9. ruf1_MANAURE QUINTEROAFP via Getty Images_data center Manaure Quintero/AFP via Getty Images
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    Why Frugal AI Alone Won’t Fix AI’s Energy Problem

    Boris Ruf explains why shifting the responsibility for reducing AI’s carbon footprint to end users is counterproductive.

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