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Katharina Pistor

Katharina Pistor

Writing for PS since 2000
34 commentaries

Katharina Pistor, Professor of Comparative Law at Columbia Law School, is the author of The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality (Princeton University Press, 2019).

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  1. Will Boeing Crash Shareholder Value?
    pistor34_NTSB via Getty Images_boeing NTSB via Getty Images

    Will Boeing Crash Shareholder Value?

    Apr 10, 2024 Katharina Pistor sees the troubled company as a textbook example of a broader problem afflicting corporate governance.

  2. Elon Musk and the Absolutist Revival
    pistor33-napoleon musk

    Elon Musk and the Absolutist Revival

    Feb 13, 2024 Katharina Pistor laments the modern cult of the CEO, which allows corporate leaders to pick and choose their own laws.

  3. Katharina Pistor on financial risk, wealth creation, digital currencies, and more
    basu50_sasun1990GettyImages_businessmanbooksmoney sasun1990/Getty Images

    Katharina Pistor on financial risk, wealth creation, digital currencies, and more

    Jan 23, 2024 Katharina Pistor highlights the government’s role in perpetuating financial-sector fragility, urges stronger enforcement of legal accountability for political leaders, explains why trading nature derivatives should not be confused with protecting nature, and more.

  4. In AI, Capital Wins Again
    pistor30_Justin SullivanGetty Images_sam altman Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    In AI, Capital Wins Again

    Nov 28, 2023 Katharina Pistor shows why OpenAI’s efforts to preserve its founding non-profit mission never stood any chance.

  5. How Finance Became the Problem
    pistor29_Selcuk1Getty Images_money Selcuk1/Getty Images

    How Finance Became the Problem

    Oct 5, 2023 Katharina Pistor catalogues the high costs of transforming almost every political challenge into a priceable asset.

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  1. velasco147_Tomas CuestaGetty Images_argentinapesos Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images

    Argentina’s Inflation Paradoxes

    Andrés Velasco asks whether President Javier Milei's administration can sustain its initial economic-policy successes.
  2. buruma213_Stephanie KeithGetty Images_palestine college Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

    The Privileged Gaza Protesters

    Ian Buruma argues that fear of losing rank could be driving students to demonstrate their intersectional bona fides.
  3. krueger54_ Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_CHIPS Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    What Mission-Driven Government Means

    Mariana Mazzucato & Rainer Kattel correct common misconceptions about a particular form of state participation in the economy.
  4. haldar33_Sean GallupGetty Images for Burda Media_kahneman Sean Gallup/Getty Images for Burda Media

    The Psychologist Who Convinced Economists that to Err Is Human

    Antara Haldar reflects on the pioneering work and legacy of one of the world’s most influential social scientists.
  5. bremmer29_Nathan HowardGetty Images_ukraine aid Nathan Howard/Getty Images
    Free to read

    Will the Renewed US Support for Ukraine Be Enough?

    Ian Bremmer

    Sixteen months of congressional inaction in the United States has left Ukrainian forces exhausted and short on ammo. Although America has now finally enacted another package of financial and military aid, the best that the Ukrainians can hope for is another stalemate, rather than another major offensive against Russian lines.

    explains how an additional $61 billion in aid and arms will, and will not, change the course of the war.
  6. hamada64_Franck Robichon - PoolGetty Images_abe Franck Robichon/Pool/Getty Images

    The Lasting Legacy of Abenomics

    Koichi Hamada highlights two important aspects of the late Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō’s policy agenda.
  7. bollmohr2_ Dan KitwoodGetty Images_fetilizier Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
    Free to read

    Fertilizers Will Not Fix Africa’s Food Crisis

    Silke Bollmohr & Harun Warui refute the idea that industrial inputs will increase yields and alleviate hunger on the continent.
  8. qian36_ Jens Kalaenepicture alliance via Getty Images_tiktok Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images

    What TikTok Got Wrong About America

    Nancy Qian thinks the company sealed its fate by aggressively interfering in the US political process.
  9. nye257_MARK SCHIEFELBEINPOOLAFP via Getty Images_blinkenxi Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    US-China Cooperation Remains Possible

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

    Although the US has abandoned its policy of engagement with China, the strategy of great-power competition that has replaced it does not preclude cooperation in some areas. A good analogy is a soccer match, where two teams battle fiercely but abide by certain rules and boundaries, kicking only the ball, rather than each other.

    identifies seven areas where the two countries can still work together toward mutually beneficial outcomes.

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