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Simon Johnson

Simon Johnson

Writing for PS since 2007
160 commentaries

Simon Johnson, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, is a professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, a co-chair of the COVID-19 Policy Alliance, and a co-chair of the CFA Institute Systemic Risk Council. He is the co-author (with Daron Acemoglu) of the forthcoming Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity (PublicAffairs, May 2023).

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  1. How to Fix the Platform Economy
    acemoglu57_ChesnotGetty Images_big tech Chesnot/Getty Images

    How to Fix the Platform Economy

    Mar 13, 2023 Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson propose new policy interventions to shift the industry away from its socially destructive business model.

  2. Are Russian Oil Prices Being Rigged?
    johnson160_ARUN SANKARAFP via Getty Images_russiaoilbarrels Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images

    Are Russian Oil Prices Being Rigged?

    Mar 1, 2023 Simon Johnson urges the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission to investigate reports of price manipulation.

  3. What’s Wrong with ChatGPT?
    acemoglu56_NICOLAS MAETERLINCKBELGA MAGAFP via Getty Images_chatgpt NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

    What’s Wrong with ChatGPT?

    Feb 6, 2023 Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson worry that the technology will be deployed to replace, rather than empower, humans.

  4. Only the US Congress Can Stop Ukraine from Winning
    johnson159_Bill O'LearyThe Washington Post via Getty Images_congress ukraine Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Only the US Congress Can Stop Ukraine from Winning

    Feb 1, 2023 Simon Johnson explains why Russia’s best hope now lies with House Republicans’ nonsensical position on the US debt ceiling.

  5. The Next Stage of the Hot Cold War
    johnson157_ARUN SANKARAFP via Getty Images_russiaoilindia Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images

    The Next Stage of the Hot Cold War

    Jan 3, 2023 Simon Johnson argues that Western countries must begin focusing more intently in 2023 on reducing demand for fossil fuels.

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  1. gaffney4_Leonardo MunozVIEWpress_tax Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress

    Tax the Rich to Save the Planet

    Owen Gaffney argues that reducing economic inequality is the key to strengthening democracy and mitigating climate change.
  2. nye240_Yuichiro ChinoGetty Images_worldtechnologyconnection Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images

    Is Globalization Over?

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr. explains why reports of the death of humanity's interdependence are greatly exaggerated.
  3. goldsmith3_LEONARDO MUNOZAFP via Getty Images_trumpindictment Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images

    Putin and Trump in the Dock?

    Jack Goldsmith explains the risks associated with pursuing criminal prosecutions against high-profile political figures.
  4. fischer202_JULIEN DE ROSAAFP via Getty Images_ukraine JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

    The Great Revision

    Joschka Fischer examines the broader geopolitical restructuring that was triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
  5. op_feld2_Mike KempIn Pictures via Getty Images_inflation Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

    Why Inflation Persists

    Lars P. Feld

    What "Team Transitory" has missed in the inflation debate is that inflation tends to become persistent because of second-round effects. Not only have producer prices risen over the past year or so, but they also have not yet been fully passed through the value chain.

    navigates the complex array of factors that give rise to one of the biggest problems in macroeconomics.
  6. haldar19_ Beata ZawrzelNurPhoto via Getty Images_wanted putin Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Wanted: Vladimir Putin

    Antara Haldar explains why the International Criminal Court’s indictment is more than just a symbolic victory.
  7. BP financial crisis Anadolu Agency / Contributor via Getty Images

    Here We Go Again?

    Fifteen years after the collapse of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers triggered a devastating global financial crisis, the banking system is in trouble again. Central bankers and financial regulators each seem to bear some of the blame for the recent tumult, but there is significant disagreement over how much – and what, if anything, can be done to avoid a deeper crisis.

  8. roubini175_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images_debt crisis Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    The Coming Doom Loop

    Nouriel Roubini warns that liquidity support will not be enough to prevent a deeper financial crisis and economic downturn.
  9. james202_FABRICE COFFRINIAFP via Getty Images_ubs credit suisse FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

    Crises of Uncertainty

    Harold James fears the consequences of policymakers’ continual revision of economic and financial governance rules.

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