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Michael R. Strain

Michael R. Strain

Writing for PS since 2022
39 commentaries

Michael R. Strain, Director of Economic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, is the author, most recently, of The American Dream Is Not Dead: (But Populism Could Kill It) (Templeton Press, 2020).

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  1. Why Is Trump Undermining the US Economy?
    strain37_Spencer PlattGettyImages_trump_stock_market Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Why Is Trump Undermining the US Economy?

    Mar 17, 2025 Michael R. Strain offers three explanations for a set of policies that have sent investor confidence into a tailspin.

  2. How Trump Can Achieve Sustained Growth
    strain36_Michael M. SantiagoGettyImages_ny_stock_exchange Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    How Trump Can Achieve Sustained Growth

    Feb 20, 2025 Michael R. Strain foresees the US president building on a strong economy, so long as he steers clear of populist policies.

  3. Could High-Skill Immigration Increase Under Trump?
    strain35_Christina HouseGettyImages_commencement_ceremony Christina House/Getty Images

    Could High-Skill Immigration Increase Under Trump?

    Jan 16, 2025 Michael R. Strain argues that the recent kerfuffle over foreign workers underscores the president-elect’s pragmatic instincts.

  4. Populism Never Lasts
    strain34_Nic AntayaGetty Images_trumpsupporters Nic Antaya/Getty Images

    Populism Never Lasts

    Dec 13, 2024 Michael R. Strain draws on history to assess the durability of Donald Trump's brand of politics.

  5. A Trump Boom?
    strain33_TheWashingtonPostGettyImages_make_america_wealthy_again The Washington Post/Getty Images

    A Trump Boom?

    Nov 19, 2024 Michael R. Strain thinks the president-elect’s economic policies could be wildly successful if he avoids his worst impulses.

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  1. hausmann121_Artur WidakNurPhoto via Getty Images_applestoreasia Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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    Trump’s $16 Trillion Trade Blind Spot

    Ricardo Hausmann identifies the fundamental flaw in the administration’s efforts to dismantle the postwar international order.
  2. roach176_Morris MacMatzenGettyImages_hamburg_port Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images
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    A World Turned Inside Out

    Stephen S. Roach

    The geostrategic shock that has accompanied Donald Trump’s return to the White House is the functional equivalent of a full-blown crisis. It is likely to have a lasting impact on the US and Chinese economies, and the contagion is almost certain to spread throughout the world through cross-border trade and capital flows.

     likens Donald Trump’s reversal of America’s global leadership role to a full-blown crisis, similar to COVID-19.
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    Jorge Heine on the BRICS, active non-alignment, the US dollar, and more

    Jorge Heine urges the Organization of American States to demonstrate leadership in Haiti, shows how small countries can implement a foreign policy based on active non-alignment, calls on China and Europe to diversify the global monetary system, and more.
  4. fengler4_SIMON MAINAAFP via Getty Images_africadigitalbank Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images
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    Financial Inclusion Must Reach the Last Billion

    Wolfgang Fengler explains why economic growth alone is not enough to extend the ladder of opportunity to all.
  5. fofack31_Fred DufourGettyImages_usaid_bag_car Fred Dufour/Getty Images
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    Dismantling USAID Could Boost African Self-Reliance

    Hippolyte Fofack

    US President Donald Trump’s dismantling of America’s foreign-aid program may be the wake-up call African leaders need. If necessity is the mother of invention, the end of USAID could galvanize African governments to confront their countries’ challenges head-on.

     sees opportunities to promote local growth following a massive reduction in foreign aid.
  6. brown118_Wakil KohsarGettyImages_afghan_girls_school Wakil Kohsar/Getty Images
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    The Internal Challenge to Afghanistan’s Ban on Girls’ Secondary Education

    Gordon Brown explains why the country’s leadership crisis represents an opportunity to end gender apartheid.
  7. jmccarthy1_CRISTINA ALDEHUELAAFP via Getty Images_cocoaghana Cristina Aldehuela/AFP via Getty Images
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    Central Banks Must Stem the Nature Crisis

    Julie McCarthy urges monetary authorities to use their tools to mitigate the financial risks of environmental disruption.
  8. dudley1_Justin TallisGettyImages_tether Justin Tallis/Getty Images
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    The US Needs Stablecoin Legislation Now

    Bill Dudley explains why lawmakers need to move quickly to establish US leadership in digital assets and payments.
  9. krueger85_Justin SullivanGetty Images_UScarstrade Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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    Tariff Man Doubles Down

    Anne O. Krueger warns that the Trump administration’s trade restrictions will harm the very industries they aim to protect.

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