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Simon Johnson

Simon Johnson

Writing for PS since 2007
183 commentaries

Simon Johnson, a 2024 Nobel laureate in economics and a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, is a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Faculty Director of MIT’s Shaping the Future of Work initiative, and Co-Chair of the CFA Institute Systemic Risk Council. He is a co-author (with Daron Acemoglu) of Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity (PublicAffairs, 2023). 

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  1. A US Tariff Idea That Makes Sense
    johnson185_Artem PriakhinSOPA ImagesGettyImages_tussian_oil_tanker Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images/Getty Images

    A US Tariff Idea That Makes Sense

    Apr 7, 2025 Simon Johnson touts the benefits of a bipartisan Senate bill that would target Russian oil exports.

  2. The World According to the Oligarchs
    johnson183 Getty Images

    The World According to the Oligarchs

    Mar 11, 2025 Simon Johnson explains how techno-monopolists’ consolidation of political power in the United States will play out.

  3. Greenland’s Future Must Be Decided by Greenland’s People
    johnson184_Picture AllianceGettyImages_greenland_flag Picture Alliance/Getty Images

    Greenland’s Future Must Be Decided by Greenland’s People

    Mar 3, 2025 Simon Johnson dismisses the argument that US national security depends on gaining control over the island.

  4. The Economic Consequences of Trump 2.0
    johnson182_MANDEL NGANAFP via Getty Images_trump Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Trump 2.0

    Jan 3, 2025 Simon Johnson explains why reality is unlikely to come close to matching the US president-elect's rhetoric.

  5. Trump Can Win Against China – in Ukraine
    johnson181_Alexander ManzyukAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_russian oil Alexander Manzyuk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    Trump Can Win Against China – in Ukraine

    Nov 25, 2024 Simon Johnson & Oleg Ustenko argue that forcing Russia to withdraw would yield a clearer win for the US than tariffs on Chinese imports.

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  1. johnson185_Artem PriakhinSOPA ImagesGettyImages_tussian_oil_tanker Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images/Getty Images
    0

    A US Tariff Idea That Makes Sense

    Simon Johnson touts the benefits of a bipartisan Senate bill that would target Russian oil exports.
  2. basu111_Justin SullivanGetty Images_UScartariffs Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
    1

    Trump’s Tariffs Will Accelerate America’s Economic Decline

    Kaushik Basu draws parallels between the administration’s policies and those that led to Argentina’s decades-long slump.
  3. blyth3_Chip SomodevillaGettyImages_trump_reciprocal_tariffs Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
    4

    Trump, Tariffs, and the Fate of the Dollar

    Mark Blyth

    Donald Trump’s attempt to reindustrialize the US economy by eliminating trade deficits will undoubtedly cause pain and disruption on a massive scale. But it is important to remember that both major US political parties have abandoned free trade in pursuit of similar goals.

     argues that America’s protectionist policies reflect a global economic reordering that was already underway.
  4. davutoglu1_Andrew HarnikGetty Images_trumpzelensky Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
    0

    Trump’s Old World Order

    Ahmet Davutoğlu warns that the US administration’s reckless conduct may destroy the last vestiges of multilateral cooperation.
  5. op_janeway19_MANDEL NGANAFP via Getty Images_trumpmusk Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
    3

    Crippling America’s Innovation Economy

    William H. Janeway

    Donald Trump and Elon Musk's reign of disruption is crippling research universities’ ability to serve as productive partners in innovation, thus threatening the very system that they purport to celebrate. The Chinese, who are increasingly becoming frontier innovators in their own right, will be forever grateful.

     warns that the pillars of US dynamism and competitiveness are being systematically toppled.
  6. muzikarova8_NurPhotoGettyImages_chip_manufacturing NurPhoto/Getty Images
    1

    America’s AI Iron Curtain

    Soňa Muzikárová explains how US export controls are harming allies and potentially helping Russia and China.
  7. hubbard5_SpencerPlattGettyImages_bessent_economic_club_of_new_york Spencer Platt/Getty Images
    0

    What Rebalancing the US Economy Really Requires

    Glenn Hubbard thinks US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is neglecting the need for spending cuts in major federal programs.
  8. rasoolayub1_Alex WongGettyImages_voa_building Alex Wong/Getty Images
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    America’s Voice No Longer Speaks for Democracy

    Heela Rasool-Ayub explains why authoritarians worldwide are celebrating Donald Trump’s renunciation of democratic advocacy.
  9. durostu1_Apu GomesGetty Images_LAfire Apu Gomes/Getty Images
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    Insurers Must Embrace Geospatial AI

    Pierre du Rostu touts the technology’s benefits for an industry that must shift its focus from paying claims to managing risk.

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