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Otmar Issing

Otmar Issing

16 commentaries

Otmar Issing, former chief economist and member of the board of the European Central Bank, is Honorary President of the Center for Financial Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt.

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  1. Can the ECB Escape Its Own Trap?
    issing16_Andreas RentzGetty Images_christinelagarde Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

    Can the ECB Escape Its Own Trap?

    Jun 7, 2023 Otmar Issing examines the policy dilemma facing central banks as they try to shrink their bloated balance sheets.

  2. The ECB’s Political Overreach
    issing15_Boris Roesslerpicture alliance via Getty Images_ecb Boris Roessler/picture alliance via Getty Images

    The ECB’s Political Overreach

    Jul 27, 2022 Otmar Issing thinks a new asset-purchase program will push the central bank further into a domain where it doesn't belong.

  3. The High Stakes of Rising Inflation
    issing14_OLIVIER DOULIERYAFP via Getty Images_fed reserve inflation OLIVIER DOULIERYAFP via Getty Images

    The High Stakes of Rising Inflation

    Nov 30, 2021 Otmar Issing warns that growing pressure on prices is a global phenomenon, posing a crucial test for central banks.

  4. The Return of Inflation?
    issing13_Getty Images_inflation Getty Images

    The Return of Inflation?

    Jul 16, 2021 Otmar Issing worries that central banks are ignoring potential new sources of upward price pressure and uncertainty.

  5. The MMT Myth
    issing12_matthiashaas_getty Images_printing money mmt Matthias Haas/Getty Images

    The MMT Myth

    Nov 3, 2020 Otmar Issing explains why Modern Monetary Theory amounts to (poisonous) old wine in a new bottle.

  1. coyle36 Alishia AbodundeGetty Images INFRASTRUCTURE Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

    The West’s New Infrastructure Imperative

    Diane Coyle explains why a broader conception of the term could reflect a renewed interest in investing in the future.
  2. bp iran israel Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images

    An Iran-Israel War?

    Iran’s mass ballistic missile and drone attack on Israel last week raised anew the specter of a widening Middle East war that draws in Iran and its proxies, as well as Western countries like the United States. The urgent need to defuse tensions – starting by ending Israel’s war in Gaza and pursuing a lasting political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – is obvious, but can it be done?

  3. nasheed3_MANDEL NGANAFP via Getty Images_georgieva MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

    What a Climate-Aligned IMF Would Look Like

    Mohamed Nasheed & Rakesh Mohan explain how the managing director can fully position the institution to help the most vulnerable countries.
  4. ghosh76_Kristin Palitzapicture alliance via Getty Images_afrigen Kristin Palitza/picture alliance via Getty Images

    The Key to Transforming African Health

    Jayati Ghosh highlights efforts to foster scientific innovation and drug manufacturing on the continent.
  5. op_roach3_ Kevin FrayerGetty Images_china lagging consumption Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

    China’s Rebalancing Imperative

    Stephen S. Roach

    The most successful development stories almost always involve major shifts in the sources of economic growth, which in turn allow economies to reinvent themselves out of necessity or by design. In China, the interplay of mounting external pressures, lagging household consumption, and falling productivity will increasingly shape China’s policy choices in the years ahead.

    explains why the Chinese authorities should switch to a consumption- and productivity-led growth model.
  6. castaneda88_GERARDO MENOSCALAFP via Getty Images_latin america safety GERARDO MENOSCAL/AFP via Getty Images

    From Welfare State to Safe State in Latin America

    Jorge G. Castañeda & Carlos Ominami

    Designing a progressive anti-violence strategy that delivers the safety for which a huge share of Latin Americans crave is perhaps the most difficult challenge facing many of the region’s governments. But it is also the most important.

    urge the region’s progressives to start treating security as an essential component of social protection.
  7. ocampo57_Celal GunesAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_imf Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    The Urgency of Sovereign-Debt Restructuring

    José Antonio Ocampo highlights the need for a comprehensive mechanism to deliver relief to low- and middle-income countries.
  8. fischer215_Mostafa AlkharoufAnadolu via Getty Images_tel aviv iran attack Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images

    The Gaza War Goes Global

    Joschka Fischer considers the implications of Iran’s unprecedented decision to launch a direct strike on Israeli territory.
  9. nyirinkindi1_ISAAC KASAMANIAFP via Getty Images_women phone fintech ISAAC KASAMANI/AFP via Getty Images

    Gender-Neutral Fintech Isn’t Working for Women

    Emmanuel Nyirinkindi & Jessica Schnabel show that the industry is not fully delivering on its promise to accelerate financial inclusion.

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