Skip to main content
Access provided by

Simon Johnson

Simon Johnson

Writing for PS since 2007
155 commentaries

Simon Johnson, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, is a professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and a co-chair of the COVID-19 Policy Alliance. He is the co-author (with Jonathan Gruber) of Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream and the co-author (with James Kwak) of 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and The Next Financial Meltdown.

Sort by: Show:
  1. Russia’s Financial Crisis Must Come Sooner
    johnson156_LOIC VENANCEAFP via Getty Images LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images

    Russia’s Financial Crisis Must Come Sooner

    Nov 30, 2022 Simon Johnson shows why a low price cap for the country’s crude exports would render the Kremlin’s war economy untenable.

  2. The Regulator US Financial Markets Need
    johnson155_Kevin DietschGetty Images_gary gensler Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    The Regulator US Financial Markets Need

    Nov 1, 2022 Simon Johnson defends Gary Gensler, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, against the usual critics.

  3. Putin Escalates, Europe Hesitates
    johnson154_Danish DefenceAnadolu Agency via Getty Images)_nordstreamattack Danish Defence/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    Putin Escalates, Europe Hesitates

    Oct 3, 2022 Simon Johnson urges European leaders to take three steps to counter Russia's illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory.

  4. America Comes Roaring Back
    johnson153_Drew AngererGetty Images_chips and science act Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    America Comes Roaring Back

    Aug 31, 2022 Simon Johnson presents an alternative view of the US economy’s prospects that focuses on three key changes since 2019.

  5. Russia’s Looming Defeat in Ukraine
    johnson152_Metin AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_kherson russia Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    Russia’s Looming Defeat in Ukraine

    Aug 2, 2022 Simon Johnson argues that both literally and figuratively, the course of the war is turning south for the Kremlin.

Follow Simon Johnson

Never miss a commentary by Simon Johnson

  1. sierakowski91_Omar MarquesGetty Images_ukrainian refugees Omar Marques/Getty Images
    0

    Resentment on the Western Front

    Sławomir Sierakowski thinks the Polish public needs a more open and honest conversation about refugees before resentment spirals.
  2. vives17_ Leon NealGetty Images_ftx Leon Neal/Getty Images
    0

    Crypto’s Well-Worn Path to Crisis

    Xavier Vives writes that, despite the novelty of the assets, the narrative of FTX’s collapse was established long ago.
  3. roubini171_Spencer PlattGetty Images_recession looming Spencer Platt/Getty Images
    7

    The Unavoidable Crash

    Nouriel Roubini anticipates a stagflationary debt crisis, owing to a dangerous combination of inflation and over-borrowing.
  4. nye236_SAUL LOEBAFP via Getty Images_biden xi SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
    1

    War Over Taiwan?

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr. considers whether a deterrence arrangement that has worked for 50 years is still sufficient.
  5. op_livingston1_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_fed Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
    2

    The Contested Fed

    James Livingston

    By all accounts, central banks – particularly the Fed, because the dollar is still the world’s dominant currency – already act as investment authorities. But their recent bailouts have exacerbated economic inequality, and have done little or nothing to address climate change.

     reviews three books that, each in its own way, reveal a central truth about the world’s leading central bank.
  6. pisaniferry140_Sean GallupGetty Images_cop27 Sean GallupGetty Images
    0

    The Economics of Mainstreaming Climate Action

    Jean Pisani-Ferry & Selma Mahfouz identify the risks and short-term costs associated with the energy transition over the next decade.
  7. haldar15_ Tayfun CoskunAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_twitter Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
    2

    Killing Twitter

    Antara Haldar explains what Elon Musk fundamentally misunderstands about the platform – and about free speech.
  8. emmott41_musk
    2

    The Napoleons of Big Tech

    Bill Emmott

    Recent events in the technology sector suggest that investors and lenders should be demanding a premium to cover the risk that a star entrepreneur will become an egomaniacal dictator. With each business cycle, it seems, old lessons must be relearned.

     sees in the industry’s harsh reckoning this year lessons that apparently can’t be learned often enough.
  9. BP - ftx NurPhoto / Contributor via Getty Images
    0

    The Crypto Emperor’s New Clothes

    The collapse of several crypto platforms this year – including the spectacular crash of the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, FTX – has raised fundamental questions about the credibility of a digital innovation once hailed as the key to democratizing finance. Has crypto finally been exposed as a scam, or will a new, stronger crypto industry emerge from the current turmoil?

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.