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Harold James

Harold James

Writing for PS since 2001
203 commentaries
2 videos & podcasts

Harold James is Professor of History and International Affairs at Princeton University. A specialist on German economic history and on globalization, he is a co-author of The Euro and The Battle of Ideas, and the author of The Creation and Destruction of Value: The Globalization Cycle, Krupp: A History of the Legendary German FirmMaking the European Monetary Union, and The War of Words.

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  1. How the Ukraine War Could End in Peace
    james201_FADEL SENNAAFP via Getty Images_ukraine damage FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

    How the Ukraine War Could End in Peace

    Mar 2, 2023 Harold James thinks Russian history is full of parallels that offer cause for cautious optimism.

  2. The Poverty of Anti-Capitalism
    james200_Sean GladwellGetty Images_worldconnection Sean Gladwell/Getty Images

    The Poverty of Anti-Capitalism

    Jan 26, 2023 Harold James considers recent arguments against markets, globalization, and growth, finding them to be deeply flawed.

  3. What Happens After the War?
    james199_Yevhen ZinchenkoGlobal Images Ukraine via Getty Images_ukrainewarreconstruction Yevhen Zinchenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

    What Happens After the War?

    Dec 21, 2022 Harold James considers historical lessons for managing the geopolitical aftermath of the conflict in Ukraine.

  4. Faking It, Making It, Losing It
    james198_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images)_ftx Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    Faking It, Making It, Losing It

    Nov 28, 2022 Harold James draws parallels between the FTX collapse and economist John Law’s infamous eighteenth-century scheme in France.

  5. What Really Brought Down Truss?
    james197_ Rob PinneyGetty Images_truss resignation Rob Pinney/Getty Images

    What Really Brought Down Truss?

    Oct 21, 2022 Harold James says there’s more to the story than the clash between fiscal and monetary policies.

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  1. krueger61_Tom WilliamsCQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images_Intelsemicronductors Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

    America’s Industrial Policy Is Counterproductive

    Anne O. Krueger laments that the Biden administration is adding red tape to an inefficient subsidy program.
  2. braham1_YURI CORTEZAFP via Getty Images_informal workers YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images

    Who Gets Squeezed by Austerity?

    Christy Braham urges governments to reject calls for budget cuts and invest in the welfare of billions of vulnerable workers.
  3. davies85_ Justin SullivanGetty Images_sanfranciscofed Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    America’s Financial Regulatory System Is Still Broken

    Howard Davies

    When a bank fails in the United States, questions about who is to blame are often directed at many different regulatory agencies, because the system is complex and hard for outsiders to understand. In the wake of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the case for an overhaul could not be stronger.

    laments that the post-2008 Dodd-Frank reforms left in place a framework riddled with structural shortcomings.
  4. fayolle3_MUNIR UZ ZAMANAFP via Getty Images_drinking water MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images

    The Water Crisis Is a Vital Investment Opportunity

    Ambroise Fayolle & Henk Ovink calls for new thinking about how we value the planet’s most important natural resource.
  5. WEIM_Thumbnail_Play-Button

    PS Events: What Economics Is Missing

    PS editors present the What Economics is Missing event.
  6. bildt109_JAAFAR ASHTIYEHAFP via Getty Images_israelpalestinewestbank Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images

    Hell in the Holy Land

    Carl Bildt fears that the stage is set for another major violent conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
  7. strain11_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_fed Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    The Fed Must Not Flinch

    Michael R. Strain

    The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank are significant market events. But, given an overheated labor market and 1970s-like inflation, if the Fed cannot see the whites of the eyes of a systemic banking crisis, then it must move aggressively on the inflation front.

    urges the US central bank to continue raising interest rates, despite signs of financial-sector fragility.
  8. sheng135_Carl CourtGetty Images_maldivesclimatechange Carl Court/Getty Images

    Reimagining Development

    Andrew Sheng & Xiao Geng argue that grassroots engagement and social enterprise are crucial to achieving countries' aspirations.
  9. goldberg22_ERIC BARADATAFP via Getty Images_world bank ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

    What the World Bank Can Do About Climate Change

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg explains how the institution can maximize its contribution to the global net-zero agenda.

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