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Willem H. Buiter

Willem H. Buiter

55 commentaries

Willem H. Buiter, a former chief economist at Citibank and former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England, is an independent economic adviser.

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  1. The Positive Case for Negative Rates
    buiter54_FABRICE COFFRINIAFP via Getty Images_swissnationalbank Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

    The Positive Case for Negative Rates

    Feb 5, 2025 Willem H. Buiter & Ebrahim Rahbari see the widely scorned monetary-policy tool as a necessary option in the absence of fiscal alternatives.

  2. Why Have Inflation Forecasts Been So Wrong?
    buiter53_Drew AngererGetty Images_ffed Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    Why Have Inflation Forecasts Been So Wrong?

    Apr 1, 2024 Willem H. Buiter & Ebrahim Rahbari consider the factors that have most confounded macroeconomic models over the past three years.

  3. Central Banks Need to Be Honest About Their Losses
    buiter52_Thomas LohnesGetty Images_ECB Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

    Central Banks Need to Be Honest About Their Losses

    Mar 5, 2024 Willem H. Buiter criticizes the European Central Bank and US Federal Reserve's accounting tricks.

  4. The ECB Should Change Three Bad Habits
    buiter51_Andreas RentzGetty Images_lagarde Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

    The ECB Should Change Three Bad Habits

    Jan 17, 2024 Willem H. Buiter & Ebrahim Rahbari identify longstanding practices that have consistently left policymakers behind the curve.

  5. A Farewell to Cash
    buiter50_Getty Images_cbdc Getty Images

    A Farewell to Cash

    Dec 11, 2023 Willem H. Buiter rebuts the three main arguments against introducing an interest-bearing central bank digital currency.

  1. tbunde7_Johannes SimonGetty Images_vance Johannes Simon/Getty Images
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    A Westless World

    Tobias Bunde reflects on this year's Munich Security Conference and America's break from the transatlantic alliance.
  2. broning14_Maja HitijGetty Images_merz Maja Hitij/Getty Images
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    Germany’s Last-Chance Election

    Michael Bröning

    With German voters clearly demanding comprehensive change, the far right has been capitalizing on the public's discontent and benefiting from broader global political trends. If the country's democratic parties cannot deliver, they may soon find that they are no longer the mainstream.

     explains why the outcome may decide whether the political “firewall” against the far right can hold.
  3. popescu6_ZinchenkoGlobal Images Ukraine via Getty Images)_ukrainepeace Zinchenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
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    The Only Path to Genuine Peace in Ukraine

    Nicu Popescu

    The Russian and (now) American vision of "peace" in Ukraine would be no peace at all. The immediate task for Europe is not only to navigate Donald’s Trump unilateral pursuit of a settlement, but also to ensure that any deal does not increase the likelihood of an even wider war.

     sees a Korea-style armistice with security guarantees as the only viable option in Ukraine.
  4. asakawa3_PoolGettyImages_hindu_kush_glacial_melt Pool/Getty Images
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    Meltdown at the Top of the World

    Masatsugu Asakawa urges development banks to act urgently to avert the catastrophic effects of the Himalayas’ thawing glaciers.
  5. frieda19_AnadoluGettyImages_russia_us_peace_talks Anadolu/Getty Images
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    The Economic Consequences of Trump’s Ukrainian Peace

    Gene Frieda

    Rather than engage in lengthy discussions to pry concessions from Russia, US President Donald Trump seems committed to giving the Kremlin whatever it wants to end the Ukraine war. But rewarding the aggressor and punishing the victim would amount to setting the stage for the next war.

     warns that by punishing the victim, the US is setting up Europe for another war.
  6. oneill128in McNameeGetty Images_trump Win McNamee/Getty Images
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    There Goes America

    Within his first month back in the White House, Donald Trump has upended US foreign policy and launched an all-out assault on the country’s constitutional order. With US institutions bowing or buckling as the administration takes executive power to unprecedented extremes, the establishment of an authoritarian regime cannot be ruled out.

  7. op_janeway18_DrAfter123Getty Images_AI DrAfter123/Getty Images
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    In AI We Trust?

    William H. Janeway

    The rapid advance of AI might create the illusion that we have created a form of algorithmic intelligence capable of understanding us as deeply as we understand one another. But these systems will always lack the essential qualities of human intelligence.

     explains why even cutting-edge innovations are not immune to the world’s inherent unpredictability.
  8. strain36_Michael M. SantiagoGettyImages_ny_stock_exchange Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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    How Trump Can Achieve Sustained Growth

    Michael R. Strain foresees the US president building on a strong economy, so long as he steers clear of populist policies.
  9. schwarzer9_Telmo PintoSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_macronstarmer Telmo Pinto/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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    Europe Alone

    Daniela Schwarzer explains what the European Union must do now that America has walked away from the transatlantic relationship.

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