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James K. Galbraith

James K. Galbraith

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1 videos & podcasts

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 author of Inequality: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2016) and Welcome to the Poisoned Chalice: The Destruction of Greece and the Future of Europe (Yale University Press, 2016).

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  1. The Austerity Train Wreck
    galbraith24_ZEKAS LEONIDASEurokinissiAFP via Getty Images_greec train wreck ZEKAS LEONIDAS/Eurokinissi/AFP via Getty Images

    The Austerity Train Wreck

    Mar 10, 2023 James K. Galbraith shifts the blame for the recent Greek railway disaster away from the aged stationmaster who now faces prison.

  2. The Debt Ceiling Is a Red Herring
    galbraith23_Douglas RissingGetty Images_USdebtcongress Douglas Rissing/Getty Images

    The Debt Ceiling Is a Red Herring

    Jan 10, 2023 James K. Galbraith worries that the Democrats will allow themselves to be suckered once again over a fake crisis.

  3. Think Again About Persistent Inflation - and the Non-Partisan Fed
    galbraith22_Alex WongGetty Images_bidenpowell Alex Wong/Getty Images

    Think Again About Persistent Inflation - and the Non-Partisan Fed

    Nov 18, 2022 James K. Galbraith argues that recent developments have vindicated earlier assessments that US price growth was transitory.

  4. Rate Hikes Are Not the Right Answer to “Wage-Price Persistence”
    galbraith21_SAUL LOEBAFP via Getty Images_USgasstation Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    Rate Hikes Are Not the Right Answer to “Wage-Price Persistence”

    Aug 5, 2022 James K. Galbraith contends that tightening US monetary policy will inflict social and economic harm with little to no payoff.

  5. The Fed Waves Its Wand
    galbraith20_Caroline BrehmanCQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images_jeromepowell Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

    The Fed Waves Its Wand

    May 9, 2022 James K. Galbraith thinks Chair Jerome Powell will get credit for a decline in inflation that would have happened anyway.

  1. bildt109_JAAFAR ASHTIYEHAFP via Getty Images_israelpalestinewestbank Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images
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    Hell in the Holy Land

    Carl Bildt fears that the stage is set for another major violent conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
  2. strain11_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_fed Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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    The Fed Must Not Flinch

    Michael R. Strain urges the US central bank to continue raising interest rates, despite signs of financial-sector fragility.
  3. sheng135_Carl CourtGetty Images_maldivesclimatechange Carl Court/Getty Images
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    Reimagining Development

    Andrew Sheng & Xiao Geng argue that grassroots engagement and social enterprise are crucial to achieving countries' aspirations.
  4. goldberg22_ERIC BARADATAFP via Getty Images_world bank ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images
    1

    What the World Bank Can Do About Climate Change

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg explains how the institution can maximize its contribution to the global net-zero agenda.
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    Richard Haass on Russia, Taiwan, and US democracy

    Richard Haass explains what caused the Ukraine war, urges the West to scrutinize its economic dependence on China, proposes ways to reverse the dangerous deterioration of democracy in America, and more.
  6. buiter45_Jabin BotsfordThe Washington Post via Getty Image_jeromepowell Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
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    Price Stability vs. Financial Stability?

    Willem H. Buiter

    If the US Federal Reserve raises its policy interest rate by as much as is necessary to rein in inflation, it will most likely further depress the market value of the long-duration securities parked on many banks' balance sheets. So be it.

     thinks central banks can achieve both, despite the occurrence of a liquidity crisis amid high inflation.
  7. frankel145_ Richard Baker In Pictures via Getty Images_exchangerates Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images
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    Fifty Years of Floating Currencies

    Jeffrey Frankel

    The half-century since the official demise of the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates has shown the benefits of what replaced it. While some may feel nostalgic for the postwar monetary system, its collapse was inevitable, and what looked like failure has given rise to a remarkably resilient regime.

     explains why the shift toward exchange-rate flexibility after 1973 was not a policy failure, as many believed.
  8. harrington34_Drew AngererGetty Images_avril haines Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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    What Do America’s Spies Really Think About China?

    Kent Harrington thinks the intelligence community’s annual threat assessment should have delved deeper on the issue.
  9. grafton2_ SIMON MAINAAFP via Getty Images_water SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images
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    Waking Up to the World’s Water Crisis

    Quentin Grafton, et al. see three overarching priorities for the first global water conference in almost a half-century.

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