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Kaushik Basu

Kaushik Basu

Writing for PS since 2002
110 commentaries

Kaushik Basu, a former chief economist of the World Bank and chief economic adviser to the Government of India, is Professor of Economics at Cornell University and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

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  1. Trump’s Self-Inflicted Trade Disaster
    basu110_Joe RaedleGetty Images_UScanadatariffs Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Trump’s Self-Inflicted Trade Disaster

    Mar 13, 2025 Kaushik Basu warns that the new administration’s protectionism resembles the strategy many developing countries once tried.

  2. Playing at Democracy
    basu109_Matt CardyGetty Images_socialmedia Matt Cardy/Getty Images

    Playing at Democracy

    Feb 12, 2025 Kaushik Basu explains how a well-known children's game illustrates the logic of today's emerging oligarchies.

  3. The Man Who Relaunched India
    basu108_Daniel BerehulakGettyImages_Manmohan_Singh Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

    The Man Who Relaunched India

    Dec 30, 2024 Kaushik Basu reflects on the legacy of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who set the stage for today’s economic growth.

  4. What If Trump Keeps His Promises?
    basu107_JimWatsonGettyImages_steelworkers_trump1 Jim Watson/Getty Images

    What If Trump Keeps His Promises?

    Nov 14, 2024 Kaushik Basu warns that the president-elect’s proposed trade policies will erode America’s competitiveness.

  5. Economics, Empathy, and the US Election
    basu106_Julia BeverlyGetty Images_kamalaharris Julia Beverly/Getty Images

    Economics, Empathy, and the US Election

    Sep 25, 2024 Kaushik Basu warns that Donald Trump’s policy agenda could leave American workers much worse off than they are now.

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  1. hausmann121_Artur WidakNurPhoto via Getty Images_applestoreasia Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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    Trump’s $16 Trillion Trade Blind Spot

    Ricardo Hausmann identifies the fundamental flaw in the administration’s efforts to dismantle the postwar international order.
  2. roach176_Morris MacMatzenGettyImages_hamburg_port Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images
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    A World Turned Inside Out

    Stephen S. Roach

    The geostrategic shock that has accompanied Donald Trump’s return to the White House is the functional equivalent of a full-blown crisis. It is likely to have a lasting impact on the US and Chinese economies, and the contagion is almost certain to spread throughout the world through cross-border trade and capital flows.

     likens Donald Trump’s reversal of America’s global leadership role to a full-blown crisis, similar to COVID-19.
  3. GettyImages-465335816
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    Jorge Heine on the BRICS, active non-alignment, the US dollar, and more

    Jorge Heine urges the Organization of American States to demonstrate leadership in Haiti, shows how small countries can implement a foreign policy based on active non-alignment, calls on China and Europe to diversify the global monetary system, and more.
  4. fengler4_SIMON MAINAAFP via Getty Images_africadigitalbank Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images
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    Financial Inclusion Must Reach the Last Billion

    Wolfgang Fengler explains why economic growth alone is not enough to extend the ladder of opportunity to all.
  5. fofack31_Fred DufourGettyImages_usaid_bag_car Fred Dufour/Getty Images
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    Dismantling USAID Could Boost African Self-Reliance

    Hippolyte Fofack

    US President Donald Trump’s dismantling of America’s foreign-aid program may be the wake-up call African leaders need. If necessity is the mother of invention, the end of USAID could galvanize African governments to confront their countries’ challenges head-on.

     sees opportunities to promote local growth following a massive reduction in foreign aid.
  6. brown118_Wakil KohsarGettyImages_afghan_girls_school Wakil Kohsar/Getty Images
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    The Internal Challenge to Afghanistan’s Ban on Girls’ Secondary Education

    Gordon Brown explains why the country’s leadership crisis represents an opportunity to end gender apartheid.
  7. jmccarthy1_CRISTINA ALDEHUELAAFP via Getty Images_cocoaghana Cristina Aldehuela/AFP via Getty Images
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    Central Banks Must Stem the Nature Crisis

    Julie McCarthy urges monetary authorities to use their tools to mitigate the financial risks of environmental disruption.
  8. dudley1_Justin TallisGettyImages_tether Justin Tallis/Getty Images
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    The US Needs Stablecoin Legislation Now

    Bill Dudley explains why lawmakers need to move quickly to establish US leadership in digital assets and payments.
  9. krueger85_Justin SullivanGetty Images_UScarstrade Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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    Tariff Man Doubles Down

    Anne O. Krueger warns that the Trump administration’s trade restrictions will harm the very industries they aim to protect.

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