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Michael Spence

Michael Spence

Writing for PS since 2008
173 commentaries

Michael Spence, a Nobel laureate in economics, is Professor of Economics Emeritus and a former dean of the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He is Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Senior Adviser to General Atlantic, and Chairman of the firm’s Global Growth Institute. He is Chair of the Advisory Board of the Asia Global Institute and serves on the Academic Committee at Luohan Academy. He is a former chair of the Commission on Growth and Development and a co-author (with Mohamed A. El-Erian, Gordon Brown, and Reid Lidow) of Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World (Simon & Schuster, 2023).

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  1. Crunch Time for the Power Sector
    spence173_ Joe RaedleGetty Images_power Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Crunch Time for the Power Sector

    May 17, 2024 Michael Spence argues that developing flexible, stable, and resilient smart grids requires an expanded industrial policy.

  2. The Indian Giant Has Arrived
    op_elerian1_ Debarchan ChatterjeeNurPhoto via Getty Images_indiapopulation Debarchan Chatterjee/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    The Indian Giant Has Arrived

    Mar 22, 2024 Mohamed A. El-Erian & Michael Spence consider the risks and challenges associated with the country's rapidly expanding global footprint.

  3. Making Sense of Society
    spence170_Biplov BhuyanHindustan Times via Getty Images_wsupreme court india Biplov Bhuyan/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

    Making Sense of Society

    Feb 29, 2024 Michael Spence considers why a healthy civil society is crucial to good governance and inclusive prosperity.

  4. The Next Phase of Our Inflation Journey
    spence169_SAUL LOEBAFP via Getty Images_powell Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    The Next Phase of Our Inflation Journey

    Feb 2, 2024 Michael Spence sees flaws in projections that the US Federal Reserve will continue to cut interest rates beyond 2024.

  5. COP28 Can Deliver Progress on Climate Change, but Will It?
    spence168_JEWEL SAMADAFP via Getty Images_cop28 JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images

    COP28 Can Deliver Progress on Climate Change, but Will It?

    Dec 5, 2023 Michael Spence highlights areas where the UN summit in Dubai can bring important progress.

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  1. vaheesan2_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images_gigworkersprotest Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    The Gig Economy vs. America’s Workers

    Sandeep Vaheesan warns that proposed ballot initiatives in Massachusetts would legalize exploitative employment practices.
  2. sherwin13_CURTIS MEANSPOOLAFP via Getty Images_repubicans trump trial CURTIS MEANS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

    King Trump on Trial

    Richard K. Sherwin

    High-ranking Republican politicians have lately been turning up at Donald Trump’s New York City trial to demonstrate solidarity with the former president. But their attendance also serves a more alarming purpose: to validate Trump as a competing source of sovereign power, independent of the US Constitution and the rule of law.

    explains why a parade of Republican leaders have made appearances at the former president’s trial in New York.
  3. spence173_ Joe RaedleGetty Images_power Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Crunch Time for the Power Sector

    Michael Spence argues that developing flexible, stable, and resilient smart grids requires an expanded industrial policy.
  4. op_janeway16_SAUL LOEBAFP via Getty Images_bidenchips Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    The Rise of Mesoeconomics

    William H. Janeway

    A growing body of literature focusing on the domain between the microeconomic and the macroeconomic has become increasingly relevant in a world beset by supply shocks. Armed with such insights, those designing industrial policies will have a better chance of achieving their overlapping economic- and national-security goals.

    details how a long-neglected field of economic study can be applied to today's most pressing policy challenges.
  5. strain27_Philipp von Ditfurthpicture alliance via Getty Images_AIeducation Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images

    What the AI Pessimists Are Missing

    Michael R. Strain points out that the technology will help to address many of the risks it creates.
  6. ito37_Spencer PlattGetty Images_columbiaprotests Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The Innocent Bystanders of College Protests

    Takatoshi Ito laments that a radical minority can disrupt the lives of so many in the broader university community.
  7. lacamera1_Wang DongzhenXinhua via Getty Images_COP28 Wang Dongzhen/Xinhua via Getty Images

    Only Public-Private Cooperation Can Accelerate Decarbonization

    Francesco La Camera & Bruce Douglas explain how to translate political commitments into actual wind turbines and solar panels.
  8. haass167_ANATOLII STEPANOVAFP via Getty Images_ukrainesoldiers Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

    Defining Success in Ukraine

    Richard Haass calls for a shift to a defensive posture and efforts to bring about a long-term ceasefire.
  9. aslund75_Pierre CromGetty Images_ukraineconflict Pierre Crom/Getty Images

    A Unified Western Strategy for Ukraine

    Anders Åslund proposes a maximalist approach to military aid to replace the current piecemeal injections of old weapons.

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