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Kaushik Basu

Kaushik Basu

Writing for PS since 2002
108 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. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

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  1. goldberg33_Lauren DeCiccaGetty Images_shippinglaos Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

    The Trade Shifts Redefining Economic Development

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg & Michele Ruta consider the long-term implications of three major trends that could reshape globalization.
  2. fischer224_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_trumpinauguration Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Trump at the Gates

    Joschka Fischer urges Europeans to recognize that they are now on their own in an increasingly dangerous world.
  3. stiglitz347_Kevin DietschGettyImages_bye_biden Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    The End of Progress?

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Though the United States has long led the world in advancing basic science and technology, it is hard to see how this can continue under President Donald Trump and the country’s ascendant oligarchy. America’s rejection of Enlightenment values will have dire consequences.

    predicts that Donald Trump’s second administration will be defined by its rejection of Enlightenment values.
  4. varoufakis123_China PhotosGetty Images_chinayuandollar China Photos/Getty Images

    China’s Trump Dilemma

    Yanis Varoufakis

    Will the China hawks in Donald Trump’s administration railroad him into a confrontation that transcends tariffs and embraces financial sanctions of the type the US and the European Union imposed on Russia? If they do, China's leaders will have to decide whether to decouple from the dollar-based international monetary system.

    thinks the real choice facing Chinese leaders may be whether to challenge the dollar's hegemony head-on.
  5. lamy10_Badru KatumbaGettyImages_jackfruit_farmer Badru Katumba/Getty Images

    The Key to Narrowing the Development Gap

    Pascal Lamy, et al. explain how investments in African agri-food systems can advance many of the Sustainable Development Goals.
  6. galbraith39_rudall30Getty Images_businessmanforest rudall30/Getty Images

    Economists’ Way Out of the Wilderness

    James K. Galbraith argues that the continued dominance of nineteenth-century thinking has resulted in a catalogue of failure.
  7. benami221_Justin SullivanGetty Images_trump Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Trump the Revolutionary Isolationist

    Shlomo Ben-Ami hears echoes of the Monroe Doctrine in the US president's threats to acquire Greenland.
  8. hubbard4_Chen MengtongChina News ServiceVCG via Getty Images_scottbessent Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

    How the Trump Administration Can Hit Its Growth Target

    Glenn Hubbard urges policymakers to focus on the three pillars of increased productivity.
  9. oneill129_Saul LoebGettyImages_us_treasury Saul Loeb/Getty Images

    Trump’s First Test Will Be the Bond Market

    Jim O'Neill wonders if recent market signals will keep the new administration’s radicalism in check.

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