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Timur Kuran

Timur Kuran

6 commentaries

Timur Kuran is Professor of Economics and Political Science at Duke University and the author of The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East.

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  1. The Economic Costs of Erdoğan
    turkey erdogan speaking at rally Kayhan Ozer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    The Economic Costs of Erdoğan

    Aug 24, 2018 Timur Kuran & Dani Rodrik lay the blame for Turkey's crisis squarely at the feet of its autocratic president.

  2. Turkey’s Changing Freedom Deficit
    kuran5_Anadolu Agency_Getty Images_erdogan Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    Turkey’s Changing Freedom Deficit

    Sep 15, 2016 Timur Kuran laments that, since the failed coup in July, citizens must increasingly obscure their true beliefs.

  3. The Roots of Middle East Mistrust
    Middle East Finance Bloomberg/ Getty Images

    The Roots of Middle East Mistrust

    Jul 8, 2016 Timur Kuran explains how Islamic law has weakened trust among Muslims.

  4. Turkey’s Electoral Dictatorship

    Turkey’s Electoral Dictatorship

    Apr 10, 2014 Timur Kuran warns that recent local elections will reinforce Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's authoritarian turn.

  5. Political Islam’s Loss of Democratic Legitimacy
    pa3263c.jpg Paul Lachine

    Political Islam’s Loss of Democratic Legitimacy

    Aug 2, 2013 Timur Kuran

  1. frankel166_JemalCountessGettyImages_national_debt Jemal Countess/Getty Images

    Elon Musk’s $2 Trillion Fiscal Fantasy

    Jeffrey Frankel

    It is often said that a businessman like Donald Trump or Elon Musk will know how to put America’s fiscal house in order. But between Trump’s planned tax cuts and Musk’s absurd estimate of how much federal spending can be reduced, the smart money says they have no idea what they are doing.

    dives into the incoming US administration’s absurd claim that fresh tax cuts will not increase the deficit.
  2. buchholz21_getty images_us china Getty Images

    The Deal Trump Should Offer China

    Todd G. Buchholz

    To address what he sees as an unfair Sino-American economic relationship, Donald Trump should focus not on trade but on China's currency manipulation and massive holdings of US debt. After all, why saddle US consumers with higher costs when you can demand reparations directly from a foreign competitor?

    proposes that the incoming US administration push for a debt write-off and market access instead of tariffs.
  3. muzikarova7_NurPhotoGettyImages_cyberconference_poland NurPhoto/Getty Images

    Central and Eastern Europe’s Bid for AI Dominance

    Soňa Muzikárová outlines steps policymakers can take to harness the technology’s potential to boost growth and prosperity.
  4. aosaid1_getty images_tech justice

    Can Technology End Corruption?

    Azalina Othman Said thinks that powerful new digital tools can help, but only if governments commit to upholding the rule of law.
  5. scherger1ARMEND NIMANIAFP via Getty Images_farming ARMEND NIMANI/AFP via Getty Images
    Free to read

    Carbon Farming Won't Save the Planet

    Sophie Scherger warns that soil-storage offsets may serve as a smokescreen for polluting industries.
  6. bildt129_MaximShipenkovGettyImages_valdai_putin_fail Maxim Shipenkov/Getty Images

    Putin’s March of Folly

    Carl Bildt argues that Russia’s president has only his own poor decisions to blame for his country’s loss of status.
  7. hausmann117_TONY KARUMBAAFP via Getty Images_africawindfarm Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

    A Better Approach to Climate Finance

    Ricardo Hausmann shows how developing countries can accelerate global decarbonization while creating new growth opportunities.
  8. ghosh83_CHRISTIAN MONTERROSAAFP via Getty Images_trump cop CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images

    Trump’s Bad COP

    Jayati Ghosh says the Paris climate agreement’s future depends on how other countries respond to the new US administration.
  9. goldberg32_Spencer PlattGetty Images_USshipping Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Are Tariffs Worth It?

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg thinks the risks and costs for the US will far outweigh any potential political or geopolitical benefits.

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