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Kaushik Basu

Kaushik Basu

Writing for PS since 2002
107 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. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Bangladesh’s Stand Against Authoritarianism
    basu105_Zabed Hasnain ChowdhuryNurPhoto via Getty Images_bangladeshprotests Zabed Hasnain Chowdhury/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Bangladesh’s Stand Against Authoritarianism

    Aug 26, 2024 Kaushik Basu urges interim leaders to rebuild political institutions and stabilize the economy before calling elections.

  4. To Preserve Democracy, Tax the Rich
    basu104_Getty Images_inequality Getty Images

    To Preserve Democracy, Tax the Rich

    Aug 1, 2024 Kaushik Basu argues that rising economic inequality has become is the handmaiden of authoritarian forces worldwide.

  5. Britain’s Now-or-Never Moment
    basu103_Ian ForsythGetty Images_polling station uk Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

    Britain’s Now-or-Never Moment

    Jul 4, 2024 Kaushik Basu explains why increased public infrastructure investment is needed to improve the country’s economic prospects.

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  1. tyson121_Anna MoneymakerGettyImages_musk_ramaswamy Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
    1

    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
    3

    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
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    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
    2

    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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