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Katharina Pistor

Katharina Pistor

Writing for PS since 2000
39 commentaries

Katharina Pistor, Professor of Comparative Law at Columbia Law School, is the author of The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality (Princeton University Press, 2019).

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  1. The New Washington Consensus
    pistor39_Julia Demaree NikhinsonGettyImages_trump_inauguration_ceos Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Getty Images

    The New Washington Consensus

    Jan 28, 2025 Katharina Pistor sees no daylight remaining between US private business and the federal government.

  2. Capitalism Is Driving Democracy’s Death Spiral
    pistor38_Beata ZawrzelNurPhoto via Getty Images_capitalismprotest Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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    Capitalism Is Driving Democracy’s Death Spiral

    Nov 15, 2024 Katharina Pistor argues that the financialization of the global economy has come at the expense self-governance.

  3. Outsourcing Our Future to For-Profit AI
    pistor37_Dan KitwoodGetty Images_deepmind Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

    Outsourcing Our Future to For-Profit AI

    Oct 17, 2024 Katharina Pistor worries that we have already ceded control to self-interested private corporations and their shareholders.

  4. To Google or Not to Google?
    pistor36_Thilina KaluthotageNurPhoto via Getty Images_google Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    To Google or Not to Google?

    Aug 22, 2024 Katharina Pistor describes how the search-engine giant crossed the line in acquiring and maintaining its monopoly.

  5. American Business Will Regret Writing Off Democracy
    pistor35_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_trump and business Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    American Business Will Regret Writing Off Democracy

    Jun 3, 2024 Katharina Pistor explains why endorsing Donald Trump is a bad bet for today’s titans of the US economy.

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  1. rogoff259_Kayla BartkowskiGettyImages_javier_milei Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

    What Trump 2.0 Means for Africa and Latin America

    Kenneth Rogoff

    US President Donald Trump’s decision to shut down USAID will deal a severe blow to African countries, weakening public-health systems and eroding American credibility. But Trump’s return could trigger a long-overdue rightward shift in Latin America after decades of failed socialist experiments.

    highlights the far-reaching implications of the new administration’s move to slash foreign-aid funding.
  2. madgavkar21_Picture AllianceGettyImages_demographic_crisis Picture Alliance/Getty Images

    Emerging Economies Must Get Rich Before They Get Old

    Anu Madgavkar & Marc Canal Noguer recommend policies that would mitigate the impact of increased longevity and declining birth rates.
  3. coyle42_Andrew HarnikGetty Images_muskchainsaw Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    Musk and DOGE Are Doing It Wrong

    Diane Coyle highlights the fundamental flaw in the Trump administration’s push to cut red tape and curb wasteful spending.
  4. buruma224_WPA PoolGettyImages_europe_summit WPA Pool/Getty Images

    Who Will Lead the Democratic World?

    Ian Buruma thinks the onus of defending our political freedoms will be on two countries that once tried to destroy them.
  5. blanquer1_Leonardo CendamoGetty Images_boualemsansal Leonardo Cendamo/Getty Images

    The World Must Rally Around Algeria’s Hunger Artist

    Jean-Michel Blanquer calls for global solidarity with the writer Boualem Sansal, unjustly detained and dying for freedom.
  6. marin30_Hu XiaofeiVCG via Getty Images_carproductionrobots Hu Xiaofei/VCG via Getty Images

    The End of Globalization as We Know It

    Dalia Marin examines how rising uncertainty and progress on automation have changed firms' views on global value chains.
  7. lachman2_Nur PhotoGettyImages_euros Nur Photo/Getty Images

    Will Trump Trigger a Eurozone Debt Crisis?

    Desmond Lachman hopes the US president recognizes that his proposed tariffs could quickly blow back on the US.
  8. klee24_Andry DenisahSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_indonesianickel Andry Denisah/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Indonesia’s Incomplete Industrial Strategy

    Keun Lee & Marco Kamiya point out that, for emerging and developing economies, attracting foreign direct investment is not enough.
  9. kosenko4_Justin TallisGettyImages_zelensky_starmer_macron Justin Tallis/Getty Images

    Europe’s Powerful Tool Against Russia

    Andrew Kosenko & Joseph E. Stiglitz

    If European leaders want to follow through on their statements in support of Ukraine following America’s betrayal of the country, they must seize the moment by seizing Russia’s assets. Europe has become the world’s bulwark against the rising tide of authoritarianism, and it can no longer afford to hide behind legalistic excuses.

    urge European governments to seize the $220 billion of Russian assets frozen in their jurisdictions.

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