Skip to main content

Daron Acemoglu

Daron Acemoglu

Writing for PS since 2012
66 commentaries

Daron Acemoglu, Institute Professor of Economics at MIT, is a co-author (with James A. Robinson) of Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty (Profile, 2019) and a co-author (with Simon Johnson) of Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity (PublicAffairs, 2023).

Sort by: Show:
  1. The Wrong BRICS Expansion
    acemoglu64_GIANLUIGI GUERCIAPOOLAFP via Getty Images_brics GIanluigi Guercia/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    The Wrong BRICS Expansion

    Aug 31, 2023 Daron Acemoglu argues that the group's enlargement is a step in the wrong direction for emerging economies.

  2. The Hollywood Writers’ AI Fight Is Everyone’s Fight
    acemoglu63_David McNewGetty Images_wga strike ai David McNew/Getty Images

    The Hollywood Writers’ AI Fight Is Everyone’s Fight

    Aug 2, 2023 Daron Acemoglu, et al. think that knowledge workers who still have a voice can steer managers away from pursuing mindless automation.

  3. After Affirmative Action
    acemoglu62_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_affirmativeaction Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    After Affirmative Action

    Jul 11, 2023 Daron Acemoglu proposes a hybrid college admissions system in the US, based on both test scores and weighted lotteries.

  4. Would AI-Enabled Communism Work?
    acemoglu61_NicoElNinoGetty Images_AIdataorganizing NicoElNino/Getty Images

    Would AI-Enabled Communism Work?

    Jun 28, 2023 Daron Acemoglu thinks recent breakthroughs pose new challenges to old assumptions about optimal economic organization.

  5. Will Democracies Stand Up to Big Brother?
    johnson165_Kevin FrayerGetty Images_facerecognition Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

    Will Democracies Stand Up to Big Brother?

    Jun 12, 2023 Simon Johnson, et al. urge policymakers to head off the rapid worldwide expansion of AI-enhanced surveillance.

Follow Daron Acemoglu

Never miss a commentary by Daron Acemoglu

  1. varoufakis107_Thomas LohnesGetty Images_christinelagarde Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

    Christine Lagarde’s Gifts to Populists

    Yanis Varoufakis worries that the European Central Bank's blunders have revived the far right's political fortunes.
  2. rodrik213_James WakibiaSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_kenyasolar James Wakibia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Bridging the Climate-Development Gap

    Dani Rodrik & Ishac Diwan explain how to free up fiscal space for sustainable development in many low- and middle-income countries.
  3. sheng141_XinhuaMao Siqian via Getty Images_hong kong Xinhua/Mao Siqian via Getty Images

    Lower Transaction Costs for Greater Innovation

    Andrew Sheng & Xiao Geng highlight the link between access to global markets and investment in research and development.
  4. Ashoka_Say-More_Ghersi-via-GettyRF

    Ashoka Mody on Indian corruption, growth, jobs, and more

    Ashoka Mody explains the roots of the lack of accountability in India, highlights shortcomings in human capital and gender equality, casts doubt on the country’s ability to assume a Chinese-style role in manufacturing, and more.
  5. chowdhury1_BIJU BOROAFP via Getty Images_india flooding BIJU BORO/AFP via Getty Images

    Why India’s Women Are More Vulnerable to Disasters

    Joyita Roy Chowdhury & Prarthna Agarwal Goel call attention to gender inequalities that exacerbate the effects of floods and other natural catastrophes.
  6. spence164_Thierry MonasseGetty Images_eu integration Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

    Europe in the Age of Industrial Policy

    Michael Spence

    While China and the US take advantage of scale to pursue large-scale investment in critical sectors, the EU struggles to follow suit, owing to its decentralized fiscal structures and rules limiting government subsidies to industry. A new EU-level investment program is urgently needed.

    advocates a federal investment program, funded by EU sovereign-debt issuance and administered centrally.
  7. brown99_Elke ScholiersGetty Images_g20 Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

    Fixing Global Governance

    Gordon Brown explains how to make the G20 and the Bretton Woods institutions fit for purpose once again.
  8. stark9_DANIEL ROLANDAFP via Getty Images_ecb DANIEL ROLAND/AFP via Getty Images

    The EU Needs Fiscal Union

    Lucrezia Reichlin laments the pro-cyclical bent of the European Commission’s proposed reforms to fiscal rules.
  9. castellino1SAM PANTHAKYAFP via Getty Images_water SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images

    The Roots of the Global Water Crisis

    Joshua Castellino explains why overhauling the current economic paradigm is crucial for preserving Earth’s natural systems.

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.