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James K. Galbraith

James K. Galbraith

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James K. Galbraith, Professor of Government and Chair in Government/Business Relations at the University of Texas at Austin, is a former staff economist for the House Banking Committee and a former executive director of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. From 1993-97, he served as chief technical adviser for macroeconomic reform to China’s State Planning Commission. He is the co-author (with Jing Chen) of the forthcoming Entropy Economics: The Living Basis of Value and Production (University of Chicago Press, 2025).

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  1. The Democrats Committed Suicide This Year
    galbraith38_MandelNganGettyImages_democrats_funeral Mandel Ngan/Getty Images

    The Democrats Committed Suicide This Year

    Nov 13, 2024 James K. Galbraith thinks the party has only itself to blame for losing the 2024 election on low voter turnout.

  2. Elon Musk Gets Trump’s Economic Plans Partly Right
    galbraith37_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_elonmusktrump Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Elon Musk Gets Trump’s Economic Plans Partly Right

    Nov 1, 2024 James K. Galbraith argues that only a tycoon could love Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, deportations, and spending cuts.

  3. Inflation Shamanism
    galbraith36_STRNurPhoto via Getty Images_krugman STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Inflation Shamanism

    Sep 20, 2024 James K. Galbraith marvels at the Federal Reserve's ability to win praise for positive outcomes it did not cause.

  4. Economic Theory for the Real World
    galbraith33 Getty Images

    Economic Theory for the Real World

    Sep 9, 2024 James K. Galbraith offers a new conceptual framework based on twenty-first-century science and simple observation.

  5. High Interest Rates Finally Bite
    galbraith35_Andrew HarnikGetty Images_powell Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    High Interest Rates Finally Bite

    Aug 6, 2024 James K. Galbraith sees in the stock-market crash an outcome that a 17-year-old economic model fully explains.

  1. tyson121_Anna MoneymakerGettyImages_musk_ramaswamy Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Why DOGE and Musk Will Fail

    Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca identify a fundamental flaw in the design of Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”
  2. barfi28_AnadoluGettyImages_hafez_alassad_statue_downed Anadolu/Getty Images

    Syria’s House of Cards

    Barak Barfi

    External factors surely contributed to the Syrian regime’s vulnerability in the face of a new rebel advance. But the primary cause of President Bashar al-Assad’s downfall is that he presided over a disintegrating social contract, enabling his enemies to forge new coalitions organized around meeting the everyday needs of Syria’s people.

    explains why Bashar al-Assad’s government collapsed so quickly, placing most of the blame on Assad himself.
  3. gregorova1_Carol YepesGetty Images_messagesencryption Carol Yepes/Getty Images

    Will Your Encrypted Messages Remain Private in Europe?

    Markéta Gregorová worries about a proposed regulation that would undermine a fundamental right in the digital domain.
  4. benami220_AnadoluGettyImages_damascus_celebration Anadolu/Getty Images

    The Fall of the House of Assad

    Shlomo Ben-Ami

    The Middle East’s geopolitical landscape has been transformed by the swift collapse of Syria’s al-Assad dynasty. While the Iranian-led “axis of resistance” now appears hollowed out, an Islamist regime in Damascus may prove deeply unsettling not only to Israel, but also to the region’s Arab states.

    agrees with Iran’s former vice president that the Syrian regime’s collapse will transform the Middle East.
  5. gortiz3_Eyepix GroupGettyImages_sheinbaum_pressconf Eyepix Group/Getty Images

    How Trump’s Return Could Benefit Mexico

    Guillermo Ortiz thinks the country and its new president could benefit from going back to the negotiating table with the US.
  6. singer237_Carl CourtGettyImages_pro_euthanasia_protest_london Carl Court/Getty Images

    Choice in Dying Comes to the UK

    Peter Singer welcomes the approval of a bill that promises to empower terminally ill patients in England and Wales.
  7. bp trump neoliberalism Photo by Saul Martinez for The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Did Neoliberalism Kill American Democracy?

    As US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to make good on his threats to upend American institutions, the pressure is on his opponents to figure out how to defend, and eventually strengthen, US democracy. But first they must understand how the United States reached this point.

  8. patten170_YUICHI YAMAZAKIAFP via Getty Images_japan Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP via Getty Images

    The Sources of Japanese Resilience

    Chris Patten emphasizes the country’s ability to avoid the divisive politics currently plaguing other liberal democracies.
  9. bremmer27_AAREF WATADAFP via Getty Images_syria Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images

    The Global Power Vacuum Comes to Syria

    Ian Bremmer explains how external dynamics led to renewed fighting in the country's 13-year-long civil war.

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