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Lawrence H. Summers

Lawrence H. Summers

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Lawrence H. Summers was US Secretary of the Treasury (1999-2001), Chief Economist of the World Bank (1991-93), Director of the US National Economic Council (2009-10), and President of Harvard University (2001-06), where he is currently University Professor.

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  1. The World Is Still on Fire
    summers14_TONY KARUMBAAFP via Getty Images_sudanfamine Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

    The World Is Still on Fire

    Apr 15, 2024 Lawrence H. Summers & N.K. Singh think policymakers need to get four things right to shore up the credibility of the international system.

  2. The Multilateral Development Banks the World Needs
    summers13_Natali_MisGetty Images_worldconnections Natali_Mis/Getty Images

    The Multilateral Development Banks the World Needs

    Jul 24, 2023 Lawrence H. Summers & N.K. Singh offer a plan to ensure that these key institutions prove equal to challenges of the twenty-first century.

  3. A New Chance for the World Bank
    summers12_ STEFANI REYNOLDSAFP via Getty Images)_world bank ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

    A New Chance for the World Bank

    Oct 10, 2022 Lawrence H. Summers calls for reforms focused on crisis response, post-conflict reconstruction, and the green transition.

  4. Debt Relief Is the Most Effective Pandemic Aid
    brown64_NICHOLAS KAMMAFP via Getty Images_georgievamalpassworldbankIMF Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

    Debt Relief Is the Most Effective Pandemic Aid

    Apr 15, 2020 Gordon Brown & Lawrence H. Summers call for a two-year moratorium on payments for every emerging and developing economy that needs help.

  5. Can a Political-Economy Vicious Circle Be Avoided?
    summers10 Getty Images

    Can a Political-Economy Vicious Circle Be Avoided?

    Dec 26, 2019 Lawrence H. Summers sees the US presidential election in November as the year's most important decision worldwide.

  1. jin26_Feng KaihuaXinhua via Getty Images_chinaarabinvestment Feng Kaihua/Xinhua via Getty Images

    China Is Better Prepared Than America for a Divorce

    Keyu Jin shows how the country has been reorienting and even expanding its global economic footprint.
  2. jackowski1_Ricardo ArduengoGettyImages_florida_hurricane_destruction Ricardo Arduengo/Getty Images

    Digital Financial Inclusion Strengthens Climate Resilience

    Ellen Jackowski calls for reducing the number of unbanked people and building digital infrastructure in vulnerable communities.
  3. ito43_HandoutGettyImages_yoon_suk_yeol_impeachment Handout/Getty Images

    The High Cost of South Korea’s Short-Lived Martial Law

    Takatoshi Ito

    Even as South Korea was plunged into political turmoil following the president’s short-lived declaration of martial law, financial markets have remained calm. But the country still has months of political uncertainty ahead, leaving it in a weak position to respond to US policy changes when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

    argues that while markets shrugged off the recent turmoil, the episode could have long-lasting consequences.
  4. castaneda91_AndalouGettyImages_mexico_immigration_enforcement Andalou/Getty Images

    Did Mexico Help Trump Get Elected?

    Jorge G. Castañeda speculates that former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador used migration flows to influence the US election.
  5. chatoux1_Dilok KlaisatapornGetty Images_carbonremoval Dilok Klaisataporn/Getty Images

    How the EU Can Scale Up Carbon Removal

    Ludovic Chatoux & Sophia Escheu urge European policymakers to use regulation to increase investment in this crucial green technology.
  6. bildt130_Andrew Caballero-ReynoldsGettyImages_syria_pedersen_un Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images

    The Way Forward in Syria

    Carl Bildt urges all parties involved to support the political roadmap that the United Nations adopted in 2015.
  7. alvarado1_Marcos PinGettyImages_ecuador_crime_scene Marcos Pin/Getty Images

    Crime Is Punishing Latin America’s Economies

    Nathalie Alvarado & Ana María Ibáñez explain how the problem acts as a tax on development – one that the region can no longer afford to pay.
  8. palacio164_GREG BAKERAFP via Getty Images_xichinesedream Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

    China’s New Social Contract

    Ana Palacio highlights a fundamental shift in priorities brought about by slowing growth and changing public expectations.
  9. haass175_Citizens of the PlanetGettyImages_oil_rig_solar_panels

    The Energy Transition That Couldn’t

    Richard Haass & Carolyn Kissane

    Dominant intellectual frameworks persist until their limitations in describing reality become undeniable, paving the way for a new paradigm. The idea that the world can and will replace fossil fuels with renewables has reached that point.

    argue that replacing fossil fuels with renewables is an idea that has exhausted its utility.

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