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Kaushik Basu

Kaushik Basu

Writing for PS since 2002
111 commentaries

Kaushik Basu, a former chief economist of the World Bank and chief economic adviser to the Government of India, is Professor of Economics at Cornell University and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

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  1. Trump’s Tariffs Will Accelerate America’s Economic Decline
    basu111_Justin SullivanGetty Images_UScartariffs Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Trump’s Tariffs Will Accelerate America’s Economic Decline

    Apr 4, 2025 Kaushik Basu draws parallels between the administration’s policies and those that led to Argentina’s decades-long slump.

  2. Trump’s Self-Inflicted Trade Disaster
    basu110_Joe RaedleGetty Images_UScanadatariffs Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Trump’s Self-Inflicted Trade Disaster

    Mar 13, 2025 Kaushik Basu warns that the new administration’s protectionism resembles the strategy many developing countries once tried.

  3. Playing at Democracy
    basu109_Matt CardyGetty Images_socialmedia Matt Cardy/Getty Images

    Playing at Democracy

    Feb 12, 2025 Kaushik Basu explains how a well-known children's game illustrates the logic of today's emerging oligarchies.

  4. The Man Who Relaunched India
    basu108_Daniel BerehulakGettyImages_Manmohan_Singh Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

    The Man Who Relaunched India

    Dec 30, 2024 Kaushik Basu reflects on the legacy of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who set the stage for today’s economic growth.

  5. What If Trump Keeps His Promises?
    basu107_JimWatsonGettyImages_steelworkers_trump1 Jim Watson/Getty Images

    What If Trump Keeps His Promises?

    Nov 14, 2024 Kaushik Basu warns that the president-elect’s proposed trade policies will erode America’s competitiveness.

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  1. wei69_Alex WongGetty Images_trumptariffs Alex Wong/Getty Images
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    Trump’s Misguided Tariff Formula

    Shang-Jin Wei criticizes the administration's crude calculations, which disregard textbook macroeconomic principles.
  2. chellaney186_SAI AUNG MAINSAI AUNG MAINAFP via Getty Images_myanmarearthquake Sai Aung Main/AFP via Getty Images
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    The US Must Change Course on Myanmar

    Brahma Chellaney outlines a policy approach that would promote stability, rather than perpetuating criminality and violence.
  3. fedyk10_Thierry MonasseGettyImages_ec_rearm_eu_annoucement Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
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    Europe Must Move Faster to Defend Itself

    Anastassia Fedyk, et al. outline four steps European leaders can take to accelerate rearmament and mitigate the Russian threat.
  4. guzman19_Tomas CuestaGetty Images_milei Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images
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    Will the IMF Get Played by Javier Milei?

    Martín Guzmán

    In pursuing a new loan from the International Monetary Fund, Argentinian President Javier Milei's government has made no secret of its self-interested political motivations. If the world's lender of last resort falls for the ploy, it could suffer a loss of credibility from which it might not recover.

     worries that the Fund will damage its credibility by issuing another politically motivated loan to Argentina.
  5. velasco158_Spencer PlattGetty Images_rustbelt Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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    There Is No Method to Trump’s Tariff Madness

    Andrés Velasco sees no merit in any of the rationales the White House has advanced for launching a global trade war.
  6. spence181_Tom BrennerGetty Images_trump Tom Brenner/Getty Images
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    Navigating the Trump Storm

    Michael Spence

    With a variety of larger forces driving profound changes, the outlook for the global economy was cloudy even before Donald Trump's return to the White House added to the uncertainty. But one thing is clear: the previous era of global interdependence based on efficiency and mutually beneficial arrangements is over.

     considers the US administration's policy shake-up against the backdrop of larger global trends.
  7. bremmer41_Dan KitwoodGettyImages_containrs_on_tarmac_uk_port Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
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    Up Against Trump’s Tariff Wall

    Ian Bremmer explains why US trade policy is tantamount to an unprecedented economic “own goal.”
  8. tharoor201_Hindustan TimesGettyImages_voters_at _polling_station Hindustan Times/Getty Images
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    Is a North-South Divide Opening in India?

    Shashi Tharoor fears that the government’s push to redraw the electoral map will favor poorer, more populous states.
  9. fischer226_Ivan AbreuSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_usflag Ivan Abreu/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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    American Suicide

    Joschka Fischer mourns the loss of the United States and the relative peace and prosperity that its global leadership enabled.

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