Skip to main content

Kaushik Basu

Kaushik Basu

Writing for PS since 2002
90 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.

Sort by: Show:
  1. Halting the Authoritarian Drift
    basu90_ContributorGetty Images_putin icc Contributor/Getty Images

    Halting the Authoritarian Drift

    Mar 29, 2023 Kaushik Basu considers the dynamics that lead political leaders down the road to tyranny, paranoia, and aggression.

  2. How Singapore Impresses
    basu89_ROSLAN RAHMANAFP via Getty Images_singaporelittleindia Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images

    How Singapore Impresses

    Mar 3, 2023 Kaushik Basu reflects on how the country became one of the world’s richest within less than 50 years.

  3. A Lesson from West Bengal
    basu88_Samir JanaHindustan Times via Getty Images_indiaeducation Samir Jana/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

    A Lesson from West Bengal

    Jan 23, 2023 Kaushik Basu shares what he learned about the state of Indian education on a trip to a remote rural area.

  4. The G20 and G Minor
    basu87_Bhushan KoyandeHindustan Times via Getty Images_g20 india Bhushan Koyande/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

    The G20 and G Minor

    Jan 4, 2023 Kaushik Basu explains how the group can address disparities between the Global North and South as further crises loom.

  5. When Voters Become Fans
    basu86_ Stu ForsterGetty Images_world cup Stu Forster/Getty Images

    When Voters Become Fans

    Dec 5, 2022 Kaushik Basu thinks deepening polarization has given the lie to a longstanding assumption about electoral politics.

Follow Kaushik Basu

Never miss a commentary by Kaushik Basu

  1. gaffney4_Leonardo MunozVIEWpress_tax Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress

    Tax the Rich to Save the Planet

    Owen Gaffney argues that reducing economic inequality is the key to strengthening democracy and mitigating climate change.
  2. nye240_Yuichiro ChinoGetty Images_worldtechnologyconnection Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images

    Is Globalization Over?

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr. explains why reports of the death of humanity's interdependence are greatly exaggerated.
  3. goldsmith3_LEONARDO MUNOZAFP via Getty Images_trumpindictment Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images

    Putin and Trump in the Dock?

    Jack Goldsmith explains the risks associated with pursuing criminal prosecutions against high-profile political figures.
  4. fischer202_JULIEN DE ROSAAFP via Getty Images_ukraine JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

    The Great Revision

    Joschka Fischer examines the broader geopolitical restructuring that was triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
  5. op_feld2_Mike KempIn Pictures via Getty Images_inflation Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

    Why Inflation Persists

    Lars P. Feld

    What "Team Transitory" has missed in the inflation debate is that inflation tends to become persistent because of second-round effects. Not only have producer prices risen over the past year or so, but they also have not yet been fully passed through the value chain.

    navigates the complex array of factors that give rise to one of the biggest problems in macroeconomics.
  6. haldar19_ Beata ZawrzelNurPhoto via Getty Images_wanted putin Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Wanted: Vladimir Putin

    Antara Haldar explains why the International Criminal Court’s indictment is more than just a symbolic victory.
  7. BP financial crisis Anadolu Agency / Contributor via Getty Images

    Here We Go Again?

    Fifteen years after the collapse of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers triggered a devastating global financial crisis, the banking system is in trouble again. Central bankers and financial regulators each seem to bear some of the blame for the recent tumult, but there is significant disagreement over how much – and what, if anything, can be done to avoid a deeper crisis.

  8. roubini175_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images_debt crisis Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    The Coming Doom Loop

    Nouriel Roubini warns that liquidity support will not be enough to prevent a deeper financial crisis and economic downturn.
  9. james202_FABRICE COFFRINIAFP via Getty Images_ubs credit suisse FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

    Crises of Uncertainty

    Harold James fears the consequences of policymakers’ continual revision of economic and financial governance rules.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.