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J. Bradford DeLong

J. Bradford DeLong

Writing for PS since 2002
250 commentaries

J. Bradford DeLong, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and the author of Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century (Basic Books, 2022). He was Deputy Assistant US Treasury Secretary during the Clinton Administration, where he was heavily involved in budget and trade negotiations. His role in designing the bailout of Mexico during the 1994 peso crisis placed him at the forefront of Latin America’s transformation into a region of open economies, and cemented his stature as a leading voice in economic-policy debates.

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  1. Investment Theory in Practice
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    Investment Theory in Practice

    Aug 1, 2023 J. Bradford DeLong notes that the long-term mathematical attractiveness of stocks belies the risk of ruin.

  2. Can America Escape Its Second Gilded Age?
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    Can America Escape Its Second Gilded Age?

    Jun 5, 2023 J. Bradford DeLong recalls how the country overcame a previous era of extreme income and wealth inequality.

  3. Neoliberalism’s Final Stronghold
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    Neoliberalism’s Final Stronghold

    Apr 27, 2023 J. Bradford DeLong pours cold water on a recent Economist essay that reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of US history.

  4. The Algorithm Society and Its Discontents
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    The Algorithm Society and Its Discontents

    Mar 6, 2023 J. Bradford DeLong warns that an emerging new mode of human organization will cater to our worst impulses.

  5. Utopia or Bust
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    Utopia or Bust

    Feb 3, 2023 J. Bradford DeLong considers our options for both expanding and effectively slicing the proverbial economic pie.

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  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.

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