Michael Boskin
Michael Boskin, currently Professor of Economics at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, was Chairman of President George H. W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers, 1989-1993.
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2012-01-31
| The 2012 US presidential election will be a referendum on Barack Obama’s policies and performance. A Republican presidential victory, together with Republican control of Congress, would most likely lead to substantial reduction, repeal, and replacement of many Obama initiatives, attempts to reform taxes and entitlements, and greater fiscal discipline.... read |
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2011-11-25
| The social insurance systems in Europe and elsewhere are failing because they have promised too much, to too many, for too long. Greece and Italy, along with the rest of the EU, will demonstrate whether democracies with heavily benefit-dependent populations can rein in the welfare state's excesses.... read |
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2011-09-22
| Europe is suffering from simultaneous sovereign-debt, banking, and currency crises, forcing policymakers to use all vehicles at their disposal – including the ECB, the IMF, and the European Financial Stability Facility – in a desperate attempt to stem the financial panic, contagion, and risk of recession. But are they going about it in the right way?... read |
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2011-07-29
| The debt dilemmas in Europe and the US prove yet again that elected officials will ignore long-run costs to achieve short-run benefits, and will act only when forced. And that implies an extended period of episodic economic disruption and political upheaval far beyond this summer’s debates on America’s debt ceiling and Europe’s distressed sovereign debtors.... read |
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2011-05-24
| Only time will tell if recent elections in the UK, the US, and Canada, together with next year's presidential election in France, signal a retreat from the growth of the welfare state or just a temporary respite. But comparing the four countries economic performance reveals that the stakes are immense.... read |
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2011-03-23
| California has long been a harbinger of national and global trends, a birthplace of innovation in everything from technology and entertainment to lifestyles. But then something went radically wrong, and understanding why offers lessons for national and subnational governments everywhere.... read |
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2011-01-24
| The US and Europe both operate single-currency areas, but only Europe's faces uncertainty about its survival. Their similarities and differences, particularly with respect to internal labor mobility, productivity, and fiscal policies, suggest why – and provide clues about whether the eurozone can evolve into a stable monetary union.... read |
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2010-11-16
| America’s lurch toward a European-style social-welfare state in Obama’s first two years appears to have been delayed, if not permanently ended or reversed. That is good news for the US – and for the global economy.... read |
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2010-09-22
| Barack Obama told the last G-20 summit that he will propose tough deficit-reduction measures next year. But his administration has followed the opposite strategy, letting rip with new spending, which he hopes will lead to pressure for higher taxes, possibly even a European-style value-added tax - an agenda that American voters aren't buying.... read |
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The Recession Dating Game
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Michael Boskin 
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The optimism that emerged in the early stages of the recovery from the financial crisis and recession has given way to more sobering assessments, with fear of a double-dip recession rising. But, depending on how we date when a recession begins and ends, double-dip recessions are more the rule than the exception. ... read
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2009-05-25
| It is too soon to gauge the full economic impact of Barack Obama’s economic policies, but a preliminary read indicates limited short-term benefit at large long-term cost. The administration is exploiting a crisis atmosphere to enact a vast agenda that would reengineer the American economy, from autos and financial services to health care, energy, and the distribution of income.... read |
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2011-05-24
| Only time will tell if recent elections in the UK, the US, and Canada, together with next year's presidential election in France, signal a retreat from the growth of the welfare state or just a temporary respite. But comparing the four countries economic performance reveals that the stakes are immense.... read |
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2011-07-29
| The debt dilemmas in Europe and the US prove yet again that elected officials will ignore long-run costs to achieve short-run benefits, and will act only when forced. And that implies an extended period of episodic economic disruption and political upheaval far beyond this summer’s debates on America’s debt ceiling and Europe’s distressed sovereign debtors.... read |
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2009-09-23
| As the world economy begins to recover, renewed attention is being paid to enormous fiscal deficits and vast expansion of government debt. Fiscal exit strategies must be planned and implemented soon, before stimulus programs become permanently entrenched, develop powerful constituencies, and greatly increase the risk of rising interest rates, inflation, and taxation.... read |
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2011-03-23
| California has long been a harbinger of national and global trends, a birthplace of innovation in everything from technology and entertainment to lifestyles. But then something went radically wrong, and understanding why offers lessons for national and subnational governments everywhere.... read |
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2011-09-22
| Europe is suffering from simultaneous sovereign-debt, banking, and currency crises, forcing policymakers to use all vehicles at their disposal – including the ECB, the IMF, and the European Financial Stability Facility – in a desperate attempt to stem the financial panic, contagion, and risk of recession. But are they going about it in the right way?... read |
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2011-01-24
| The US and Europe both operate single-currency areas, but only Europe's faces uncertainty about its survival. Their similarities and differences, particularly with respect to internal labor mobility, productivity, and fiscal policies, suggest why – and provide clues about whether the eurozone can evolve into a stable monetary union.... read |
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2010-07-26
| The optimism that emerged in the early stages of the recovery from the financial crisis and recession has given way to more sobering assessments, with fear of a double-dip recession rising. But, depending on how we date when a recession begins and ends, double-dip recessions are more the rule than the exception. ... read |
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2009-01-23
| As the euro marks its tenth anniversary, low inflation, no currency risk, decreased transaction costs, and greater transparency have made the common currency a success. But euro-zone members' decreased flexibility in response to economic shocks will certainly test it in the months and years ahead.... read |
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Europe’s Last Best Chance
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Michael Boskin
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The social insurance systems in Europe and elsewhere are failing because they have promised too much, to too many, for too long. Greece and Italy, along with the rest of the EU, will demonstrate whether democracies with heavily benefit-dependent populations can rein in the welfare state's excesses.... read
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The Fiscal Crisis Down Below
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Michael Boskin
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Sub-national governments – states, countries, cities, provinces, towns, and special districts – play different roles from country to country, but usually deliver important public services. In many countries, their fiscal position has collapsed under the combined weight of mismanagement and the global economic and financial crisis.... read
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2012-01-31
