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Maurice Obstfeld

Maurice Obstfeld

8 commentaries

Maurice Obstfeld, a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, is Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley.

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  1. Trump’s Inflationary Triple Threat
    op_disparte1_SadikDemirozGetty Images_digitaldollar FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

    Trump’s Inflationary Triple Threat

    Nov 22, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld warns that the incoming administration’s agenda would weaken the Fed and destabilize the financial system.

  2. Donald Trump’s Tariffs Would Hurt US Workers and Businesses
    obstfeld6_Anthony KwanGetty Images_tariffs Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    Donald Trump’s Tariffs Would Hurt US Workers and Businesses

    Oct 22, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld shows why targeting an overall reduction in imports would reduce America’s real wages and national income.

  3. America’s Deficit Attention Disorder
    obstfeld5_ Justin SullivanGetty Images_trade Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    America’s Deficit Attention Disorder

    Aug 5, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld thinks the accumulation of public debt is a far more urgent problem than the trade balance.

  4. The Dangers of a US Capital Inflow Tax
    obstfeld4_Jabin BotsfordThe Washington Post via Getty Images_trumplighthizer Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    The Dangers of a US Capital Inflow Tax

    Jun 14, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld worries that a little-known, highly costly method of deficit reduction is gaining political traction.

  5. Trump’s Plans for the Fed Would Revive 1970s-Style Inflation
    Project Syndicate

    Trump’s Plans for the Fed Would Revive 1970s-Style Inflation

    May 8, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld thinks the presumptive GOP nominee’s policies reflect an outdated understanding of the economy.

  1. gelfand4_Andrew HarnikGettyImages_trump_gesture Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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    It’s Time to Abandon Trump’s Flawed Negotiation Playbook

    Michele Gelfand points out that the best dealmakers strive for win-win outcomes, not zero-sum Pyrrhic victories.
  2. bajraktari3_NICOLAS TUCATAFP via Getty Images_fusionreactor Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images
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    America’s Last Chance to Lead in Fusion Energy

    Ylli Bajraktari warns that China's domination of the sector would give it massive economic and geopolitical leverage.
  3. rogoff260_ STRAFP via Getty Images_chinarealestate STR/AFP via Getty Images
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    China Can’t Spend Its Way Out of Trouble

    Kenneth Rogoff

    China’s prolonged reliance on fiscal stimulus has distorted economic incentives, fueling a housing glut, a collapse in prices, and spiraling public debt. With further stimulus off the table, the only sustainable path is for the central government to relinquish more economic power to local governments and the private sector.

     argues that the country’s problems can be traced back to its response to the 2008 financial crisis.
  4. mohieldin33_Xie EXinhuaGettyImages_guterres_debt_report Xie E/Xinhua/Getty Images
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    This UN Debt Initiative Is Different

    Mahmoud Mohieldin, et al. tout an Expert Group’s efforts to prevent a full-blown solvency crisis in developing countries.
  5. fbirol4_UCGGettyImages_south_africa_power_grid UCG/Getty Images
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    What African Electrification Requires

    Fatih Birol & Alain Ebobissé highlight the need for greater private-sector participation to boost investments in power grids.
  6. nye268_John MooreGetty Images_trumpUN John Moore/Getty Images
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    How World Order Changes

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

    World order is a matter of degree: it varies over time, depending on technological, political, social, and ideological factors that can affect the global distribution of power and influence norms. It can be radically altered both by broader historical trends and by a single major power's blunders.

     examines the role of evolving power dynamics and norms in bringing about stable arrangements among states.
  7. buruma226_Picture AllianceGettyImages_tel _aviv_antiwar_protests Picture Alliance/Getty Images
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    Israel’s Blind Spot

    Ian Buruma explains the lack of sympathy, even among the country’s many anti-war protesters, for Palestinian suffering.
  8. sirimanne1_Visual China Group via Getty ImagesVisual China Group via Getty Images_robotelderly Visual China Group via Getty Images
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    Will AI Close or Widen the Development Gap?

    Shamika Sirimanne & Xiaolan Fu call for multilateral action and grassroots pressure to ensure that the technology serves all countries.
  9. dickinsongoodman1_DrAfter123Getty Images_datasurveillance DrAfter123/Getty Images
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    Don’t Let Governments Break Encryption

    Jessica Dickinson Goodman & Ezequiel Passeron Kitroser urge citizens and lawmakers to fight for the privacy that previous generations took for granted.

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