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Maurice Obstfeld

Maurice Obstfeld

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Maurice Obstfeld, a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, is Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley.

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  1. Donald Trump’s Tariffs Would Hurt US Workers and Businesses
    obstfeld6_Anthony KwanGetty Images_tariffs Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    Donald Trump’s Tariffs Would Hurt US Workers and Businesses

    Oct 22, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld shows why targeting an overall reduction in imports would reduce America’s real wages and national income.

  2. America’s Deficit Attention Disorder
    obstfeld5_ Justin SullivanGetty Images_trade Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    America’s Deficit Attention Disorder

    Aug 5, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld thinks the accumulation of public debt is a far more urgent problem than the trade balance.

  3. The Dangers of a US Capital Inflow Tax
    obstfeld4_Jabin BotsfordThe Washington Post via Getty Images_trumplighthizer Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    The Dangers of a US Capital Inflow Tax

    Jun 14, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld worries that a little-known, highly costly method of deficit reduction is gaining political traction.

  4. Trump’s Plans for the Fed Would Revive 1970s-Style Inflation
    Project Syndicate

    Trump’s Plans for the Fed Would Revive 1970s-Style Inflation

    May 8, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld thinks the presumptive GOP nominee’s policies reflect an outdated understanding of the economy.

  5. Life or Debt in Ukraine
    op_obstfeld1_Frank Hammerschmidtpicture alliance via Getty Images_ukrainecurrency Frank Hammerschmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Life or Debt in Ukraine

    Apr 29, 2022 Maurice Obstfeld, et al. explain how the country's government and its creditors can stay ahead of debilitating financial trouble.

  1. surui1_ Juancho TorresAnadolu Agency via Getty Images)_biodiversity Juancho Torres/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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    Making Biodiversity Credits Work

    Almir Narayamoga Suruí & Simon Zadek suggest how to realize the potential of this innovative mechanism for financing nature conservation.
  2. sierakowski111_Omar MarquesGetty Images_donaldtusk Omar Marques/Getty Images
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    Polish Democracy’s Winter of Discontent

    Sławomir Sierakowski explains why enthusiasm for the country’s ruling coalition has waned over the past year.
  3. cferguson2_Uwe Anspachpicture alliance via Getty Images_remote work Uwe Anspach/picture alliance via Getty Images
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    What Remote Work Can Do for Global Development

    Charles Ferguson points out that the decoupling of economic activity from geographic location has only just begun.
  4. zizek38_HANNAH MCKAYPOOLAFP via Getty Images_macron HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
    5

    Saving Democracy from Itself

    Slavoj Žižek applauds French President Emmanuel Macron’s maneuvering to keep the far right at bay.
  5. khrushcheva186_ CHANDAN KHANNAAFP via Getty Images_border patrol Office of Inspector General/Department of Homeland Security via Getty Images
    3

    First Trump Came for the Immigrants

    Nina L. Khrushcheva warns that mass deportations will carry high costs, not just for the economy, but for America’s soul.
  6. op_batista1_BRENDAN SMIALOWSKIAFP via Getty Images_georgievaIMF Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
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    Will the IMF Survive to 100?

    Paulo Nogueira Batista, Jr. & Robert H. Wade

    The World Trade Organization's precipitous decline into irrelevance should serve as a warning to the International Monetary Fund's shareholder governments, its management, and everyone who values multilateral economic cooperation. In a rapidly changing world, global institutions must reform or die.

     propose incremental changes to keep developing and emerging economies on board and engaged.
  7. merz1_Chris Emil Janßen - PoolGetty Images_biden eu Chris Emil Janßen - Pool/Getty Images
    1

    European Security Cannot Be Found in the Past

    Friedrich Merz

    The old Europe of the Cold War sought comfort in the past and confidence in the solitary US leadership that defined the era. Unfortunately, when it comes to its own security, Europe seemingly remains in a time warp, stuck somewhere before 1989.

     laments that nostalgia for US leadership unites a continent that must define the decisive action needed now.
  8. desalegn2_Gabriel AponteGetty Images_cop16 Gabriel Aponte/Getty Images
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    The Biodiversity Crisis Is a Security Crisis

    Hailemariam Desalegn urges governments to recognize that the degradation of ecosystems poses a major threat to global stability.
  9. campanella29_ John MooreGetty Images_voting John Moore/Getty Images
    1

    The US Election and the Crisis of Whiteness

    Edoardo Campanella sees long-term demographic trends driving the country’s increasingly divisive politics.

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