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Katharina Pistor

Katharina Pistor

Writing for PS since 2000
38 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. Capitalism Is Driving Democracy’s Death Spiral
    pistor38_Beata ZawrzelNurPhoto via Getty Images_capitalismprotest Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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    Capitalism Is Driving Democracy’s Death Spiral

    Nov 15, 2024 Katharina Pistor argues that the financialization of the global economy has come at the expense self-governance.

  2. Outsourcing Our Future to For-Profit AI
    pistor37_Dan KitwoodGetty Images_deepmind Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

    Outsourcing Our Future to For-Profit AI

    Oct 17, 2024 Katharina Pistor worries that we have already ceded control to self-interested private corporations and their shareholders.

  3. To Google or Not to Google?
    pistor36_Thilina KaluthotageNurPhoto via Getty Images_google Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    To Google or Not to Google?

    Aug 22, 2024 Katharina Pistor describes how the search-engine giant crossed the line in acquiring and maintaining its monopoly.

  4. American Business Will Regret Writing Off Democracy
    pistor35_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_trump and business Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    American Business Will Regret Writing Off Democracy

    Jun 3, 2024 Katharina Pistor explains why endorsing Donald Trump is a bad bet for today’s titans of the US economy.

  5. Will Boeing Crash Shareholder Value?
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    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.

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  1. mueller56_SOPA ImagesGettyImages_covid_prostest SOPA Images/Getty Images
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    Confronting the Pandemic’s Toxic Political Legacy

    Jan-Werner Mueller supports calls for countries to carry out independent inquiries into how the COVID-19 crisis was handled.
  2. james226_Jabin Botsford The Washington Post via Getty Images_trumpaltmanellison Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
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    How Trump’s Anti-Globalism Could Backfire

    Harold James thinks the new administration's approach could jeopardize the foreign capital flows that America depends on.
  3. toni4_Dominika ZarzyckaSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_cop30 Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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    How to Make COP30 a Climate Turning Point

    Ana Toni sees the main task in Belém, Brazil, as accelerating the implementation of existing agreements.
  4. roach174_Christopher FurlongGetty Images_trump Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
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    Trump’s Trade Scam

    Stephen S. Roach

    Donald Trump’s second administration is starting where his first ended – with distortions and convoluted logic. Perhaps most notable is his ludicrous proposal for an "External Revenue Service," which, contrary to the president’s claims, would collect tariff revenues from domestic importers, not from foreign producers.

     points out that the new “External Revenue Service” would target domestic importers, not foreign producers.
  5. mackintosh8_Murat TanerGettyImages_fed_building Murat Taner/Getty Images
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    The Fed Is Running Scared of Trump

    Stuart P.M. Mackintosh

    The US Federal Reserve’s leadership constantly stresses the importance of “data dependence.” Yet, in order to appease Donald Trump, the Fed has decided to ignore a huge – and rapidly growing – pile of data showing that climate risks pose a grave threat to economic and financial stability.

     observes that political pressure is already undermining independent, data-driven decision-making.
  6. buchholz22_Kayla BartkowskiGettyImages_tiktok_ban Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
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    Beware the TikTokalypse

    Todd G. Buchholz thinks calls to reverse the app’s ban or forced sale are based on a misunderstanding of its security risks.
  7. slaughter108_Iranian PresidencyAnadolu via Getty Images_BRICS Iranian Presidency/Anadolu via Getty Images
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    Middle Powers and the Art of the Deal

    Anne-Marie Slaughter foresees the world under Donald Trump becoming like a bazaar, to the benefit of multi-aligned countries.
  8. op_bivens1_JIM WATSONAFP via Getty Images_bidenworkers Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
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    America’s Workers Are About to Be Forgotten Again

    Josh Bivens & Heidi Shierholz contrast the Biden administration's pro-worker policies with what Donald Trump is likely to do.
  9. ghosh84_NurPhotoGettyImages_wind_power_grid NurPhoto/Getty Images
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    Decommodify Electricity

    Jayati Ghosh shows why the market cannot mobilize the clean-energy investments needed to accelerate the green transition.

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