Skip to main content

James K. Galbraith

James K. Galbraith

32 commentaries
1 videos & podcasts

James K. Galbraith, Professor of Government and Chair in Government/Business Relations at the University of Texas at Austin, is a former staff economist for the House Banking Committee and a former executive director of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. From 1993-97, he served as chief technical adviser for macroeconomic reform to China’s State Planning Commission. He is the author of Inequality: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2016) and Welcome to the Poisoned Chalice: The Destruction of Greece and the Future of Europe (Yale University Press, 2016).

Sort by: Show:
  1. The Austerity Train Wreck
    galbraith24_ZEKAS LEONIDASEurokinissiAFP via Getty Images_greec train wreck ZEKAS LEONIDAS/Eurokinissi/AFP via Getty Images

    The Austerity Train Wreck

    Mar 10, 2023 James K. Galbraith shifts the blame for the recent Greek railway disaster away from the aged stationmaster who now faces prison.

  2. The Debt Ceiling Is a Red Herring
    galbraith23_Douglas RissingGetty Images_USdebtcongress Douglas Rissing/Getty Images

    The Debt Ceiling Is a Red Herring

    Jan 10, 2023 James K. Galbraith worries that the Democrats will allow themselves to be suckered once again over a fake crisis.

  3. Think Again About Persistent Inflation - and the Non-Partisan Fed
    galbraith22_Alex WongGetty Images_bidenpowell Alex Wong/Getty Images

    Think Again About Persistent Inflation - and the Non-Partisan Fed

    Nov 18, 2022 James K. Galbraith argues that recent developments have vindicated earlier assessments that US price growth was transitory.

  4. Rate Hikes Are Not the Right Answer to “Wage-Price Persistence”
    galbraith21_SAUL LOEBAFP via Getty Images_USgasstation Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    Rate Hikes Are Not the Right Answer to “Wage-Price Persistence”

    Aug 5, 2022 James K. Galbraith contends that tightening US monetary policy will inflict social and economic harm with little to no payoff.

  5. The Fed Waves Its Wand
    galbraith20_Caroline BrehmanCQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images_jeromepowell Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

    The Fed Waves Its Wand

    May 9, 2022 James K. Galbraith thinks Chair Jerome Powell will get credit for a decline in inflation that would have happened anyway.

  1. sinn109_ DANIEL ROLANDAFP via Getty Images_financial crisis DANIEL ROLAND/AFP via Getty Images

    Accounting for Casino Capitalism

    Hans-Werner Sinn draws parallels between recent bank collapses and the late-nineteenth-century “founders’ crash.”
  2. zadek25_ FABRICE COFFRINIAFP via Getty Images_creditsuisseUBS Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

    Who Should Be Bailed Out Next?

    Simon Zadek urges rich-country governments to aid debt-distressed poor countries as urgently as they have their failing banks.
  3. callegari1_Getty Images_crowd population Getty Images

    The Population Boon

    Beniamino Callegari & Per Espen Stoknes correct popular myths about the threat of demographic growth to sustainable development.
  4. songwe8_NIPAH DENNISAFP via Getty Images_ghana NIPAH DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images

    Where Is the Global South’s Rescue Brigade?

    Vera Songwe decries the unequal responses to liquidity crises in Silicon Valley compared to the developing world.
  5. slaughter96_melitasGetty Images_cooperative melitas/Getty Images

    Beyond Industrial Policy

    Anne-Marie Slaughter & Elizabeth Garlow

    The emerging breed of industrial policies, which emphasize production, fair wages, and localism, could serve as the basis for post-neoliberal economies. But to tackle the challenges of the twenty-first century and ensure a sustainable future, we need a policy framework that recognizes the value of human connection.

    make the case for an economic strategy that prioritizes shared prosperity over competition.
  6. afrasmussen17_TOFIK BABAYEVAFP via Getty Images_armeniaazerbaijanconflict Tofik Babayev/AFP via Getty Images

    The Other Conflict on Europe’s Doorstep

    Anders Fogh Rasmussen warns that Azerbaijan may be preparing to renew its military aggression against neighboring Armenia.
  7. varoufakis101_Justin SullivanGetty Images_svb Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Let the Banks Burn

    Yanis Varoufakis

    The banking system we take for granted is unfixable. The good news is that we no longer need to rely on any private, rent-seeking, socially destabilizing network of banks, at least not the way we have so far.

    shows why the current private system is unfixable – and why we don’t need to tolerate it anymore.
  8. roach151_ TIMOTHY A. CLARYAFP via Getty Images)_svb collapse TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

    How China Benefits from Another US Banking Crisis

    Stephen S. Roach thinks America’s latest financial trouble will reinforce a narrative of terminal national decline.
  9. op_schell1_Andrea VerdelliGetty Images_xijinping Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images

    Xi Jinping’s Chinese Tragedy

    Orville Schell interviewed by Irena Grudzińska Gross about the country's increasingly worrisome trajectory, both at home and abroad.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.