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Lenny Mendonca

Lenny Mendonca

52 commentaries
1 videos & podcasts

Lenny Mendonca, Senior Partner Emeritus at McKinsey & Company, is a former chief economic and business adviser to Governor Gavin Newsom of California and chair of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

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  1. Harnessing AI for the Common Good
    mendonca52_Constanza Hevia H. for The Washington Post via Getty Images_aieducation Constanza Hevia H. for The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Harnessing AI for the Common Good

    Jun 20, 2024 Lenny Mendonca urges policymakers to play a more active role in shaping the future of emerging technologies.

  2. What Critics of American Higher Education Get Wrong
    tyson117_Eros HoaglandGetty Images_UScollege Eros Hoagland/Getty Images

    What Critics of American Higher Education Get Wrong

    Mar 19, 2024 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca show that a college degree is still a wise investment and a key driver of economic mobility in America.

  3. California Leads the Way on Climate
    tyson116_Kevork DjansezianGetty Images_california Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

    California Leads the Way on Climate

    Dec 28, 2023 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca show how the Golden State has made meaningful progress within and beyond its borders by testing new ideas.

  4. To Protect Democracy, Revive Local Journalism
    tyson115_ Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_local reporters Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    To Protect Democracy, Revive Local Journalism

    Sep 20, 2023 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca identify promising new models and philanthropic initiatives geared toward supporting independent media.

  5. The Local Threat to American Democracy
    tyson114_MARK FELIXAFP via Getty Images_voting Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

    The Local Threat to American Democracy

    Jul 18, 2023 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca document widening efforts by Republicans and their allies to stifle the will of voters.

  1. karman1_getty images_cooperation Getty Images

    Human Progress in the Trump Era

    Tawakkol Karman, et al. propose ways to foster a culture of cooperation at a time of rising conflict and democratic erosion.
  2. frankel166_JemalCountessGettyImages_national_debt Jemal Countess/Getty Images

    Elon Musk’s $2 Trillion Fiscal Fantasy

    Jeffrey Frankel

    It is often said that a businessman like Donald Trump or Elon Musk will know how to put America’s fiscal house in order. But between Trump’s planned tax cuts and Musk’s absurd estimate of how much federal spending can be reduced, the smart money says they have no idea what they are doing.

    dives into the incoming US administration’s absurd claim that fresh tax cuts will not increase the deficit.
  3. buchholz21_getty images_us china Getty Images

    The Deal Trump Should Offer China

    Todd G. Buchholz

    To address what he sees as an unfair Sino-American economic relationship, Donald Trump should focus not on trade but on China's currency manipulation and massive holdings of US debt. After all, why saddle US consumers with higher costs when you can demand reparations directly from a foreign competitor?

    proposes that the incoming US administration push for a debt write-off and market access instead of tariffs.
  4. muzikarova7_NurPhotoGettyImages_cyberconference_poland NurPhoto/Getty Images

    Central and Eastern Europe’s Bid for AI Dominance

    Soňa Muzikárová outlines steps policymakers can take to harness the technology’s potential to boost growth and prosperity.
  5. aosaid1_getty images_tech justice

    Can Technology End Corruption?

    Azalina Othman Said thinks that powerful new digital tools can help, but only if governments commit to upholding the rule of law.
  6. scherger1ARMEND NIMANIAFP via Getty Images_farming ARMEND NIMANI/AFP via Getty Images
    Free to read

    Carbon Farming Won't Save the Planet

    Sophie Scherger warns that soil-storage offsets may serve as a smokescreen for polluting industries.
  7. bildt129_MaximShipenkovGettyImages_valdai_putin_fail Maxim Shipenkov/Getty Images

    Putin’s March of Folly

    Carl Bildt argues that Russia’s president has only his own poor decisions to blame for his country’s loss of status.
  8. hausmann117_TONY KARUMBAAFP via Getty Images_africawindfarm Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

    A Better Approach to Climate Finance

    Ricardo Hausmann shows how developing countries can accelerate global decarbonization while creating new growth opportunities.
  9. ghosh83_CHRISTIAN MONTERROSAAFP via Getty Images_trump cop CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images

    Trump’s Bad COP

    Jayati Ghosh says the Paris climate agreement’s future depends on how other countries respond to the new US administration.

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