Skip to main content

Willem H. Buiter

Willem H. Buiter

55 commentaries

Willem H. Buiter, a former chief economist at Citibank and former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England, is an independent economic adviser.

Sort by: Show:
  1. The Positive Case for Negative Rates
    buiter54_FABRICE COFFRINIAFP via Getty Images_swissnationalbank Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

    The Positive Case for Negative Rates

    Feb 5, 2025 Willem H. Buiter & Ebrahim Rahbari see the widely scorned monetary-policy tool as a necessary option in the absence of fiscal alternatives.

  2. Why Have Inflation Forecasts Been So Wrong?
    buiter53_Drew AngererGetty Images_ffed Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    Why Have Inflation Forecasts Been So Wrong?

    Apr 1, 2024 Willem H. Buiter & Ebrahim Rahbari consider the factors that have most confounded macroeconomic models over the past three years.

  3. Central Banks Need to Be Honest About Their Losses
    buiter52_Thomas LohnesGetty Images_ECB Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

    Central Banks Need to Be Honest About Their Losses

    Mar 5, 2024 Willem H. Buiter criticizes the European Central Bank and US Federal Reserve's accounting tricks.

  4. The ECB Should Change Three Bad Habits
    buiter51_Andreas RentzGetty Images_lagarde Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

    The ECB Should Change Three Bad Habits

    Jan 17, 2024 Willem H. Buiter & Ebrahim Rahbari identify longstanding practices that have consistently left policymakers behind the curve.

  5. A Farewell to Cash
    buiter50_Getty Images_cbdc Getty Images

    A Farewell to Cash

    Dec 11, 2023 Willem H. Buiter rebuts the three main arguments against introducing an interest-bearing central bank digital currency.

  1. gebert5_Amir LevyGetty Images_netanyahuprotest Amir Levy/Getty Images

    Will Qatari Gold Sink Netanyahu?

    Konstanty Gebert

    Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's decision to fire the country's internal security chief has raised suspicions, given that the move comes just after the launch of an investigation into a new scandal involving his own aides. Israelis are right to worry that they could now be heading for a constitutional crisis.

    explains the latest scandal to hit Israel's increasingly illiberal, norm-breaking government.
  2. khrushcheva191_Anna MoneymakerGettyImages_steve_witkoff Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    The US and Russia Are Negotiating in Bad Faith

    Nina L. Khrushcheva thinks the Kremlin is laying the groundwork for a highly favorable deal on the Ukraine war.
  3. schaake12_Thierry MonasseGettyImages_henna_virkkunen Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

    Europe’s Tech Sovereignty Demands More Than Competitiveness

    Marietje Schaake & Max von Thun warn that the European Union’s deregulatory push could undermine its autonomy and fundamental values.
  4. nsofor11_GUY PETERSONAFP via Getty Images_africadoctors Guy Peterson/AFP via Getty Images

    How Should Africa Respond to Foreign-Aid Cuts?

    Ifeanyi M. Nsofor touts the potential of foreign remittances to sustain public services as external support shrinks.
  5. huang6_Sawayasu TsujiGettyImages_china_tariffs Sawayasu Tsuji/Getty Images

    How Should China Respond to Trump’s Tariffs?

    Huang Yiping urges Chinese policymakers to fill the leadership vacuum created by America’s protectionist turn.
  6. oneill132_Feature ChinaFuture Publishing via Getty Images_chinashopping Feature China/Future Publishing via Getty Images

    Who Will Drive the Post-American Global Economy?

    Jim O'Neill considers what other large economies can do to offset the effects of the Trump administration's trade warfare.
  7. op_fofack4_Irwin Wong for The Washington Post via Getty Images_elderlypersonworking Irwin Wong for The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Health Is Wealth in a Geriatric World

    Hippolyte Fofack

    The Global South is increasingly at risk of growing old before becoming rich, which implies huge social and economic costs. To avert this outcome, the Hevolution Foundation, a nonprofit backed by the Saudi royal family, has begun to support research focused on lengthening healthspans – the period of life spent in good health.

    explains why increasing “healthspans” to match lifespans is a moral and economic imperative.
  8. przybylski2_Alexander KoernerGetty Images_germanyarmy Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

    Europe’s Democrats Must Forge a Will to Fight

    Wojciech Przybylski & Goran Buldioski think European leaders' most urgent security task is to nurture citizens' resolve to defend their countries.
  9. mazzucato81_Tomas CuestaGetty Images_javiermileichainsaw Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images

    Governments Are Not Startups

    Mariana Mazzucato & Rainer Kattel explain why ongoing efforts to run the state like a business are doomed to fail.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.