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Robert Skidelsky

Robert Skidelsky

Writing for PS since 2003
222 commentaries

Robert Skidelsky is a member of the British House of Lords, Professor Emeritus of Political Economy at Warwick University, and the author of a prize-winning three-volume biography of John Maynard Keynes. He began his political career in the Labour party, was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party, and served as the Conservative Party’s spokesman for Treasury affairs in the House of Lords until he was sacked for his opposition to NATO’s 1999 bombing of Kosovo. Since 2001, he has sat in the House of Lords as an independent. He has also served as a non-executive director of the American mutual fund Janus (2001-11) and the private Russian oil company PJSC Russneft (2016-21). He is the author of The Machine Age: An Idea, a History, a Warning (Allen Lane, 2023).

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  1. The Roots of Europe’s Immigration Problem
    skidelsky_Hasan MradDeFodi Images News via Getty Images)_immigration Hasan Mrad/DeFodi Images News via Getty Images)

    The Roots of Europe’s Immigration Problem

    Oct 17, 2024 Robert Skidelsky calls attention to the conditions that lead African migrants to risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean.

  2. Britain’s Illusory Fiscal Black Hole
    skidelsky205_ BEN STANSALLAFP via Getty Images_starmer BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

    Britain’s Illusory Fiscal Black Hole

    Sep 18, 2024 Robert Skidelsky makes the case that policymakers should focus on stimulating economic growth rather than on budget cuts.

  3. The Enduring Appeal of Live Performance
    skidelsky204_Hiroyuki ItoGetty Images_live music Hiroyuki Ito/Getty Images

    The Enduring Appeal of Live Performance

    Aug 21, 2024 Robert Skidelsky ponders why people prefer attending a concert or theater production to watching or hearing it at a distance.

  4. Labour’s Economic Plan Lacks Keynesian Ambition
    skidelsky203_Christopher FurlongGetty Images_rachel reeves Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

    Labour’s Economic Plan Lacks Keynesian Ambition

    Jul 24, 2024 Robert Skidelsky explains why the new government’s agenda is more of a gamble on growth than a concrete action plan.

  5. D-Day and the Threat of Total War
    skidelsky202_BettmannGetty Images_d-day Bettmann/Getty Images

    D-Day and the Threat of Total War

    Jun 17, 2024 Robert Skidelsky thinks understanding the causes and consequences of past global conflicts is crucial to preventing another one.

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  1. surui1_ Juancho TorresAnadolu Agency via Getty Images)_biodiversity Juancho Torres/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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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