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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. bremmer40_Alex WongGettyImages_trump Alex Wong/Getty Images
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    Trump’s Tariffs Are Not a Negotiating Tactic

    Ian Bremmer

    Donald Trump’s immediate, aggressive use of import tariffs has revealed a fundamental difference between his first and second term. Far from a mere negotiating strategy, the goal this time is to replace a global rules-based system of managed economic integration with coerced decoupling.

     emphasizes a fundamental difference between the US trade agenda now and during the president’s first term.
  2. singer240_GuyerwoodGettyImages_railroad_switch Guyerwood/Getty Images
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    Are We Responsible for Our Choices?

    Peter Singer identifies a common flaw shared by deterministic theories of human behavior.
  3. korolec2_Picture AllianceGettyImages_eu_competitiveness_compass Picture Alliance/Getty Images
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    Europe’s Competitiveness Compass Points in the Wrong Direction

    Marcin Korolec warns that the strategy demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of the challenges facing the bloc.
  4. k2jacobs2_Saul LoebGettyImages_us_treasury Saul Loeb/Getty Images
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    America’s Faustian Trade Bargain

    Kenneth Jacobs highlights a critical vulnerability that other countries could exploit in retaliation for US tariffs.
  5. ghosh86_Charly TriballeauGettyImages_unga_vote Charly Triballeau/Getty Images
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    Will the United Nations Survive Trump 2.0?

    Jayati Ghosh

    Recent actions by the United States may foreshadow its withdrawal from the world’s foremost multilateral institution. Paradoxically, however, the breakdown of the multilateral order the US helped establish nearly eight decades ago could serve as a catalyst for greater international cooperation.

     thinks the paradigm shift in US foreign policy could end up strengthening global solidarity.
  6. mujiono1_LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHAAFP via Getty Images_indonesiacoral Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images
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    Empty Promises Won’t Save Marine Ecosystems

    Dadang Mujiono warns that without global intervention, biodiversity-rich regions could become prime targets for exploitation.
  7. toubeau1_ Maja HitijGetty Images_marzvonderleyenweber Maja Hitij/Getty Images
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    Europe’s New Power Trio

    Simon Toubeau foresees Friedrich Merz, Ursula von der Leyen, and Manfred Weber boosting the bloc’s security and economy.
  8. ostry6_Anadolu GettyImages_canada_axe_the_tax Anadolu/Getty Images
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    Canada Must Learn From the Green Backlash

    Jonathan D. Ostry calls for climate policies to reflect social realities, instead of being based solely on economic efficiency.
  9. moyo33_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images_USstockmarket Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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    Will There Be a Sustained US Market Selloff?

    Dambisa Moyo identifies several indicators that investors and business leaders should keep an eye on.

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