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Maurice Obstfeld

Maurice Obstfeld

8 commentaries

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. Trump’s Inflationary Triple Threat
    op_disparte1_SadikDemirozGetty Images_digitaldollar FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

    Trump’s Inflationary Triple Threat

    Nov 22, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld warns that the incoming administration’s agenda would weaken the Fed and destabilize the financial system.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

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    May 8, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld thinks the presumptive GOP nominee’s policies reflect an outdated understanding of the economy.

  1. fedyk9_Oleg PalchykGlobal Images Ukraine via Getty Images_ukrainedrone Oleg Palchyk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

    Ukraine’s True Value

    Anastassia Fedyk & Emilia Marshall

    Ukraine’s immense industrial and human resources once helped make the Soviet Union a global power, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is counting on them to achieve his neo-imperialist dream. With the US now behaving like a Kremlin proxy, supporting Ukraine has become an existential imperative for Europe.

    warn that abandoning the country could hand Vladimir Putin the opportunity to restore Russia’s imperial status.
  2. sierakowski116_Andrew HarnikGetty Images_trumpvancezelensky Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    America Is Gone – Europe Must Replace It

    Sławomir Sierakowski

    Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s verbal assault on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office was shocking but not surprising. As the Trump administration rapidly destroys America's credibility and international standing, Europe must mobilize its ample resources to replace America as a global leader.

    says the Trump administration's Oval Office fight with Ukraine's president is a moment that will live in infamy.
  3. yu80_Morris MacMatzenGettyImages_us_trade Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images

    Can America Maintain External Sustainability?

    Yu Yongding explains why demand for foreign capital inflows to offset the country’s savings shortfall may go unmet.
  4. rodrik232_ ROBERTO SCHMIDTAFP via Getty Images_trumpflag Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

    The Coming Showdown in Trumpworld

    Dani Rodrik points out that a coalition comprising incompatible financial and ideological interests cannot last.
  5. roach175_Brandon BellGettyImages_egg_prices Brandon Bell/Getty Images

    Trump’s Self-Fulfilling Crisis

    Stephen S. Roach shows how the US president’s policies could create the very problems he falsely claims to be confronting.
  6. patten173_Carl Court - PoolGetty Images_starmertrump Carl Court - Pool/Getty Images

    Britain Must Downgrade the Special Relationship

    Chris Patten outlines steps UK policymakers must take to mitigate the strategic threat posed by the Trump administration.
  7. zucman3_Roberto SchmidtGettyImages_musk_schmidt Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images

    America’s Oligarchs Are Trump’s Achilles’ Heel

    Gabriel Zucman proposes that countries targeted by US tariffs retaliate with taxes on Elon Musk and his peers.
  8. op_jilevy4_Robert Daemmrich Photography IncCorbis via Getty Images_obamahope Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images

    The Opacity of Hope

    Jonathan Levy reflects on how the politics promoted by America’s first Black president gave rise to its first felonious one.
  9. alsulayman1_Karim SahibGettyImages_uae_solar Karim Sahib/Getty Images

    A New Gulf Growth Model

    Faris Al-Sulayman & Steffen Hertog explain why the region’s governments are well positioned to capitalize on recent geo-economic trends.

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