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Maurice Obstfeld

Maurice Obstfeld

6 commentaries

Maurice Obstfeld, a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, is Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley.

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  1. America’s Deficit Attention Disorder
    obstfeld5_ Justin SullivanGetty Images_trade Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    America’s Deficit Attention Disorder

    Aug 5, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld thinks the accumulation of public debt is a far more urgent problem than the trade balance.

  2. The Dangers of a US Capital Inflow Tax
    obstfeld4_Jabin BotsfordThe Washington Post via Getty Images_trumplighthizer Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    The Dangers of a US Capital Inflow Tax

    Jun 14, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld worries that a little-known, highly costly method of deficit reduction is gaining political traction.

  3. Trump’s Plans for the Fed Would Revive 1970s-Style Inflation
    Project Syndicate

    Trump’s Plans for the Fed Would Revive 1970s-Style Inflation

    May 8, 2024 Maurice Obstfeld thinks the presumptive GOP nominee’s policies reflect an outdated understanding of the economy.

  4. Life or Debt in Ukraine
    op_obstfeld1_Frank Hammerschmidtpicture alliance via Getty Images_ukrainecurrency Frank Hammerschmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Life or Debt in Ukraine

    Apr 29, 2022 Maurice Obstfeld, et al. explain how the country's government and its creditors can stay ahead of debilitating financial trouble.

  5. The G20 Must Speak Truth to Putin
    obstfeld2_MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEVSPUTNIKAFP via Getty Images_putin MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

    The G20 Must Speak Truth to Putin

    Mar 31, 2022 Maurice Obstfeld thinks the group’s future depends on whether its members can agree on the facts about Russia’s war in Ukraine.

  1. bp trump harris debate Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    What Harris and Trump Will Do

    With less than two months to go until the US presidential election, the candidates’ opposing worldviews, objectives, and priorities – and their implications for international relations, the economy, and democracy – have come into sharper focus. While it is impossible to know exactly what a leader will do once in office, the contours of both a Donald Trump and a Kamala Harris presidency are remarkably well defined.

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    The Big Picture

  3. op_drochon4_LUDOVIC MARINPOOLAFP via Getty Images_macron Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Macron’s Trial by Fire

    Hugo Drochon

    Since the start of the Olympic Summer Games in Paris, Emmanuel Macron has reclaimed the initiative and confronted a political situation that is in many ways unprecedented for a French president. Not only has the center held, but the country may have a return to political stability in its sights.

    reflects on the French president's efforts to maintain control after a painful election season.
  4. velasco151_SAUL LOEBAFP via Getty Images_harris Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    Kamala Harris’s Liberal Patriotism

    Andrés Velasco & Daniel Brieba

    The US presidential candidate's appeal to love of country is the right thing at the right time. Disregard the surfeit of flags and overwrought rhetoric: a healthy dose of patriotism is required to win an election, in the US or anywhere else, and it is – and should be – an essential component of liberal and progressive politics.

    explain why the Democratic US presidential candidate's appeal to love of country is good politics.
  5. fofack27_ BENSON IBEABUCHIAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaprotests Benson Ibeabuchi/AFP via Getty Images

    Confronting Africa’s Cost-of-Living Crisis

    Hippolyte Fofack urges governments to rethink constraints on public spending and increase investment in human capital.
  6. benami217_ ALBERTO PIZZOLIAFP via Getty Images)_ancient rome ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

    Why Rome Still Matters

    Shlomo Ben-Ami considers the ancient empire’s hold on the popular imagination and what its history has to teach us.
  7. hendy1_Sina Schuldtpicture alliance via Getty Images_maternity Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Egypt’s Skyrocketing C-Sections

    Rana Hendy & Lobna Shaheen urge policymakers to take decisive steps to address the inequalities fueling the rise in cesarean deliveries.
  8. caballero1_Sanjeev VermaHindustan Times via Getty Images_indiashopping Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

    Asia’s Consumer Tipping Point

    Juan Caballero & Wolfgang Fengler highlight a milestone that marks the transition from poverty to a more typical middle-class lifestyle.
  9. Rodrik_Say-More_Rawf8-via-GettyRF

    Kishore Mahbubani on the US-China rivalry, Asian security risks, and more

    Kishore Mahbubani offers advice to Western diplomats attempting to engage with Asia, identifies risks to the region’s stability, highlights Singapore’s lessons for developing-country leaders, and more.

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