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Timur Kuran

Timur Kuran

6 commentaries

Timur Kuran is Professor of Economics and Political Science at Duke University and the author of The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East.

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  1. The Economic Costs of Erdoğan
    turkey erdogan speaking at rally Kayhan Ozer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    The Economic Costs of Erdoğan

    Aug 24, 2018 Timur Kuran & Dani Rodrik lay the blame for Turkey's crisis squarely at the feet of its autocratic president.

  2. Turkey’s Changing Freedom Deficit
    kuran5_Anadolu Agency_Getty Images_erdogan Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    Turkey’s Changing Freedom Deficit

    Sep 15, 2016 Timur Kuran laments that, since the failed coup in July, citizens must increasingly obscure their true beliefs.

  3. The Roots of Middle East Mistrust
    Middle East Finance Bloomberg/ Getty Images

    The Roots of Middle East Mistrust

    Jul 8, 2016 Timur Kuran explains how Islamic law has weakened trust among Muslims.

  4. Turkey’s Electoral Dictatorship

    Turkey’s Electoral Dictatorship

    Apr 10, 2014 Timur Kuran warns that recent local elections will reinforce Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's authoritarian turn.

  5. Political Islam’s Loss of Democratic Legitimacy
    pa3263c.jpg Paul Lachine

    Political Islam’s Loss of Democratic Legitimacy

    Aug 2, 2013 Timur Kuran

  1. vaheesan2_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images_gigworkersprotest Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    The Gig Economy vs. America’s Workers

    Sandeep Vaheesan warns that proposed ballot initiatives in Massachusetts would legalize exploitative employment practices.
  2. sherwin13_CURTIS MEANSPOOLAFP via Getty Images_repubicans trump trial CURTIS MEANS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

    King Trump on Trial

    Richard K. Sherwin

    High-ranking Republican politicians have lately been turning up at Donald Trump’s New York City trial to demonstrate solidarity with the former president. But their attendance also serves a more alarming purpose: to validate Trump as a competing source of sovereign power, independent of the US Constitution and the rule of law.

    explains why a parade of Republican leaders have made appearances at the former president’s trial in New York.
  3. spence173_ Joe RaedleGetty Images_power Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Crunch Time for the Power Sector

    Michael Spence argues that developing flexible, stable, and resilient smart grids requires an expanded industrial policy.
  4. op_janeway16_SAUL LOEBAFP via Getty Images_bidenchips Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    The Rise of Mesoeconomics

    William H. Janeway

    A growing body of literature focusing on the domain between the microeconomic and the macroeconomic has become increasingly relevant in a world beset by supply shocks. Armed with such insights, those designing industrial policies will have a better chance of achieving their overlapping economic- and national-security goals.

    details how a long-neglected field of economic study can be applied to today's most pressing policy challenges.
  5. strain27_Philipp von Ditfurthpicture alliance via Getty Images_AIeducation Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images

    What the AI Pessimists Are Missing

    Michael R. Strain points out that the technology will help to address many of the risks it creates.
  6. ito37_Spencer PlattGetty Images_columbiaprotests Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The Innocent Bystanders of College Protests

    Takatoshi Ito laments that a radical minority can disrupt the lives of so many in the broader university community.
  7. lacamera1_Wang DongzhenXinhua via Getty Images_COP28 Wang Dongzhen/Xinhua via Getty Images

    Only Public-Private Cooperation Can Accelerate Decarbonization

    Francesco La Camera & Bruce Douglas explain how to translate political commitments into actual wind turbines and solar panels.
  8. haass167_ANATOLII STEPANOVAFP via Getty Images_ukrainesoldiers Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

    Defining Success in Ukraine

    Richard Haass calls for a shift to a defensive posture and efforts to bring about a long-term ceasefire.
  9. aslund75_Pierre CromGetty Images_ukraineconflict Pierre Crom/Getty Images

    A Unified Western Strategy for Ukraine

    Anders Åslund proposes a maximalist approach to military aid to replace the current piecemeal injections of old weapons.

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