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Lawrence H. Summers

Lawrence H. Summers

15 commentaries
1 videos & podcasts

Lawrence H. Summers was US Secretary of the Treasury (1999-2001), Chief Economist of the World Bank (1991-93), Director of the US National Economic Council (2009-10), and President of Harvard University (2001-06), where he is currently University Professor.

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  1. The World Is Still on Fire
    summers14_TONY KARUMBAAFP via Getty Images_sudanfamine Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

    The World Is Still on Fire

    Apr 15, 2024 Lawrence H. Summers & N.K. Singh think policymakers need to get four things right to shore up the credibility of the international system.

  2. The Multilateral Development Banks the World Needs
    summers13_Natali_MisGetty Images_worldconnections Natali_Mis/Getty Images

    The Multilateral Development Banks the World Needs

    Jul 24, 2023 Lawrence H. Summers & N.K. Singh offer a plan to ensure that these key institutions prove equal to challenges of the twenty-first century.

  3. A New Chance for the World Bank
    summers12_ STEFANI REYNOLDSAFP via Getty Images)_world bank ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

    A New Chance for the World Bank

    Oct 10, 2022 Lawrence H. Summers calls for reforms focused on crisis response, post-conflict reconstruction, and the green transition.

  4. Debt Relief Is the Most Effective Pandemic Aid
    brown64_NICHOLAS KAMMAFP via Getty Images_georgievamalpassworldbankIMF Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

    Debt Relief Is the Most Effective Pandemic Aid

    Apr 15, 2020 Gordon Brown & Lawrence H. Summers call for a two-year moratorium on payments for every emerging and developing economy that needs help.

  5. Can a Political-Economy Vicious Circle Be Avoided?
    summers10 Getty Images

    Can a Political-Economy Vicious Circle Be Avoided?

    Dec 26, 2019 Lawrence H. Summers sees the US presidential election in November as the year's most important decision worldwide.

  1. toubeau1_ Maja HitijGetty Images_marzvonderleyenweber Maja Hitij/Getty Images

    Europe’s New Power Trio

    Simon Toubeau foresees Friedrich Merz, Ursula von der Leyen, and Manfred Weber boosting the bloc’s security and economy.
  2. ostry6_Anadolu GettyImages_canada_axe_the_tax Anadolu/Getty Images

    Canada Must Learn From the Green Backlash

    Jonathan D. Ostry calls for climate policies to reflect social realities, instead of being based solely on economic efficiency.
  3. moyo33_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images_USstockmarket Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    Will There Be a Sustained US Market Selloff?

    Dambisa Moyo identifies several indicators that investors and business leaders should keep an eye on.
  4. ahuq7_Jim WatsonGettyImages_trump_executive_order Jim Watson/Getty Images

    Trump’s Tariffs Are Illegal, but That Won’t Matter

    Aziz Huq sees an unlawful trade war as a window into America’s crumbling constitutional order.
  5. phassan1_Nava JamshidiGetty Images_afghanistanwomen Nava Jamshidi/Getty Images

    Let Afghan Women Lead

    Palwasha Hassan & Shafiqa Khpalwak urge the international community to support some of the world's most repressed yet tenacious people.
  6. sierakowski116_Andrew HarnikGetty Images_trumpvancezelensky Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    Saving Ukraine

    By choosing to side with the aggressor in the Ukraine war, President Donald Trump’s administration has effectively driven the final nail into the coffin of US global leadership. Unless Europe fills the void – first and foremost by supporting Ukraine – it faces the prospect of more chaos and conflict in the years to come.

  7. op_livingston6_cienpies_handsmoney cienpies/Getty Images

    Abundance and Its Discontents

    James Livingston

    For most of human history, economic scarcity was a constant – the condition that had to be escaped, mitigated, or rationalized. Why, then, is scarcity's opposite regarded as a problem?

    asks why the absence of economic scarcity is viewed as a problem rather than a cause for celebration.
  8. elerian175_Spencer PlattGetty Images_nyse Spencer Platt/Getty Images
    Free to read

    What Role for the Bond Vigilantes?

    J. Bradford DeLong, et al. consider whether the return of the “bond vigilantes” will become a persistent issue for major economies
  9. blanchard17_Money SharmaGettyImages_von_der_leyen_modi Money Sharma/Getty Images

    Maintaining Progress in a Post-American World

    Olivier Blanchard & Jean Pisani-Ferry identify four big global challenges that can still be tackled through “coalitions of the willing.”

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