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Michael R. Strain

Michael R. Strain

Writing for PS since 2022
37 commentaries

Michael R. Strain, Director of Economic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, is the author, most recently, of The American Dream Is Not Dead: (But Populism Could Kill It) (Templeton Press, 2020).

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  1. Could High-Skill Immigration Increase Under Trump?
    strain35_Christina HouseGettyImages_commencement_ceremony Christina House/Getty Images

    Could High-Skill Immigration Increase Under Trump?

    Jan 16, 2025 Michael R. Strain argues that the recent kerfuffle over foreign workers underscores the president-elect’s pragmatic instincts.

  2. Populism Never Lasts
    strain34_Nic AntayaGetty Images_trumpsupporters Nic Antaya/Getty Images

    Populism Never Lasts

    Dec 13, 2024 Michael R. Strain draws on history to assess the durability of Donald Trump's brand of politics.

  3. A Trump Boom?
    strain33_TheWashingtonPostGettyImages_make_america_wealthy_again The Washington Post/Getty Images

    A Trump Boom?

    Nov 19, 2024 Michael R. Strain thinks the president-elect’s economic policies could be wildly successful if he avoids his worst impulses.

  4. US Tariffs Will Not Bring Back Jobs from China
    kruger76_Justin SullivanGetty Images_shipping Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    US Tariffs Will Not Bring Back Jobs from China

    Oct 21, 2024 Michael R. Strain decries both parties’ reluctance to prepare Americans for the employment opportunities of today and tomorrow.

  5. The Debt That Shall Not Be Named
    stain31_Jemal CountessGetty Images for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation_USdebt Jemal Countess/Getty Images for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation

    The Debt That Shall Not Be Named

    Sep 27, 2024 Michael R. Strain warns that both US presidential candidates are ignoring one of the most pressing issues facing the country.

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  1. lachman1_Jemal CountessGetty Images for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation_USdebt Jemal Countess/Getty Images for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation

    Trump’s Looming Deficit Disaster

    Desmond Lachman explains why the US president’s trade tariffs and planned tax cuts are at odds with basic economic realities.
  2. mazzucato80_WPA PoolGettyImages_starmer_ai_speech WPA Pool/Getty Images

    Governing AI for the Public Interest

    Mariana Mazzucato & Tommaso Valletti explain why the UK government’s recently released AI “action plan” misses the mark.
  3. chellaney184_ Sergio FloresGetty Images_trumpmodi Sergio Flores/Getty Images

    Putting the Trump-Modi Bromance to the Test

    Brahma Chellaney hopes that the US and Indian leaders take concrete steps to reset and deepen the bilateral relationship.
  4. alemanno2_Thierry MonasseGettyImages_vdl_competitiveness_compass Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

    The Dark Side of EU Deregulation

    Alberto Alemanno warns that the bloc’s efforts to reduce bureaucratic red tape will do more harm than good.
  5. GettyImages-2196139559

    Daniel Gros on DeepSeek, Germany's malaise, EU competitiveness, and more

    Daniel Gros hopes that a Chinese startup's apparent AI breakthrough will provide a much-needed boost to European competitiveness, advises the EU on how to deal with Donald Trump, urges Europe to improve conditions for bottom-up innovation, and more.
  6. bremmer39_Steve PfostNewsday RM via Getty Images_USwindfarm Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty Images

    Trump Will Not Kill the Global Energy Transition

    Ian Bremmer

    Despite Donald Trump's promise to boost fossil-fuel production, the economic and technological forces driving the clean-energy revolution cannot be stopped. The global transition will power forward, even if America has abandoned climate leadership, and even if the road ahead includes a few more bumps.

    assuages fears that the global energy transition will be thrown into reverse by the new US administration.
  7. brown117_Robert HradilGetty Images_WHO Robert Hradil/Getty Images

    A Reformed WHO Should Make Its Case to America

    Gordon Brown wants to reassure the Trump administration that a revamped organization could serve US and global interests.
  8. tbunde6_New Look CastingGettyImages_globe_jigsaw New Look Casting/Getty Images

    The Age of Multipolarization

    Tobias Bunde & Sophie Eisentraut think a better future depends on whether a world with more poles can find ways to mitigate dangerous divisions.
  9. eichengreen200_PhotoQuestGettyImages_IBM_computer_france PhotoQuest/Getty Images

    Will US Export Restrictions Work?

    Barry Eichengreen

    Perhaps US efforts to cut off China’s access to advanced semiconductors will be more successful than analogous restrictions on tech exports to France in the 1960s. But we now have at least one data point – DeepSeek – that suggests otherwise.

    questions the effectiveness of efforts to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductors.

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