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Curated by Project Syndicate

Martin Feldstein (1939 – 2019)

7 commentaries

Martin Feldstein, a professor of economics at Harvard, a former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and a monthly Project Syndicate commentator since 2008, was one of the most accomplished economists of his generation. In his last commentary for PS (the top link below), Feldstein examined the ongoing dispute between the United States and China over trade and technology.

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  1. Will the US Capitulate to China?
    us china trade negotiations MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
    Free to read

    Will the US Capitulate to China?

    Feb 25, 2019 Martin Feldstein warns that any bilateral trade deal that fails to address theft of US companies' technology will be useless.

  2. Why Is the Fed Still Raising Interest Rates?
    feldstein127_Spencer PlattGetty Images_stock market Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Why Is the Fed Still Raising Interest Rates?

    Dec 27, 2018 Martin Feldstein sees three reasons for continuing to tighten monetary policy, despite slowing economic growth.

  3. How to Save Social Security Systems
    retire garden maus182/Getty Images

    How to Save Social Security Systems

    Nov 28, 2018 Martin Feldstein advocates a mixed system of fixed, tax-based benefits and variable, market-based returns.

  4. How to Increase America’s Saving Rate
    feldstein122_gettyimages Getty Images

    How to Increase America’s Saving Rate

    Jul 26, 2018 Martin Feldstein advocates legislative reforms that would expand the use of private pension investment vehicles.

  5. Global Aging and Fiscal Solvency
    Feldstein121_FREDERIC J. BROWN_AFP_Getty Images FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

    Global Aging and Fiscal Solvency

    Jul 2, 2018 Martin Feldstein proposes two solutions to the problem of rising old-age-dependency ratios in many developed countries.

  6. America’s Exploding Budget Deficit
     The Social Security Administration offices in Denver Craig F. Walker / The Denver Post/Getty Images

    America’s Exploding Budget Deficit

    May 29, 2018 Martin Feldstein blames the sharp rise in US debt on rapid growth in Social Security and Medicare spending.

  1. nishtar8_AMAURY HAUCHARDAFP via Getty Images_africavaccine Amaury Hauchard/AFP via Getty Images

    Fifty Years of Immunization Success Call for 50 More

    Sania Nishtar touts the remarkable results of global collaboration on routine vaccination and foresees continued progress.
  2. GettyImages-2149550584 Photo by MARK PETERSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

    Trump on Trial

    From a long list of criminal indictments to unfavorable voter demographics, there is plenty standing between presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump and a second term in the White House. But a Trump victory in the November election remains a distinct possibility – and a cause for serious economic concern.

  3. woods56_Alex WongGetty Images_georgieva Alex Wong/Getty Images

    The IMF Chose the Right Leader the Wrong Way

    Ngaire Woods thinks the Fund’s process for selecting its managing director is woefully out of step with today’s world.
  4. bildt122_Mikhail SvetlovGetty Images_trumpputin Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

    Trump Is Putin’s Only Hope Now

    Carl Bildt considers the implications of Ukraine finally receiving the Western military aid it has been waiting for.
  5. frankel159_Getty Images_customer service Getty Images

    How to Rebuild Trust in Public Institutions

    Eleanor Carter & Carolyn J. Heinrich highlight the value of face-to-face interactions at a time when governments are phasing out in-person services.
  6. isenberg1_TIMOTHY A. CLARYPOOLAFP via Getty Images_trumptrial Timothy A. Clary/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Is Trump Above the Law?

    Nancy Isenberg

    Contrary to what former US President Donald Trump would have the American public believe, no president enjoys absolute immunity from criminal prosecution. To suggest otherwise is to reject a bedrock principle of American democracy: the president is not a monarch.

    explains why the US Supreme Court must reject the former president's claim to immunity from prosecution.
  7. deryugina1_BEN BIRCHALLPOOLAFP via Getty Images_ukraineflagsoldier Ben Birchall/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Ukraine Is Far From Doomed

    Tatyana Deryugina & Anastassia Fedyk

    When comparing Ukraine’s situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible. But it will require the West, and the US in particular, to put aside domestic political squabbles and muster the political will to provide Ukraine with consistent and robust military and financial assistance.

    compare Russia's full-scale invasion to World War II and see reason to hope – as long as aid keeps flowing.
  8. glennerster2_Scott OlsonGetty Images)_vaccines Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    The Pandemic Financing Developing Countries Need

    Rachel Glennerster urges multilateral development banks to establish mechanisms that enable at-risk vaccine purchases.
  9. krueger74_AFP via Getty Images_nigercoup AFP via Getty Images

    The Geopolitics of Africa’s Debt Crisis

    Anne O. Krueger urges developed countries to back efforts by the IMF and the World Bank to promote growth-enhancing reforms.

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