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James Livingston

James Livingston

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James Livingston, Professor Emeritus of History at Rutgers University, is the author of six books, including No More Work: Why Full Employment Is a Bad Idea (The University of North Carolina Press, 2016), and the forthcoming The Intellectual Earthquake: How Pragmatism Changed the World, 1898-2008 (University of Chicago Press).

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  1. Abundance and Its Discontents
    op_livingston6_cienpies_handsmoney cienpies/Getty Images

    Abundance and Its Discontents

    Mar 7, 2025 James Livingston asks why the absence of economic scarcity is viewed as a problem rather than a cause for celebration.

  2. The Brutes’ New Suits
    op_livingston5_Spencer PlattGetty Images_wallstreet Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The Brutes’ New Suits

    Oct 18, 2024 James Livingston asks why so many observers now believe that banks are running a con game.

  3. Two Cheers for Identity Politics
    livingston4_ KAMIL KRZACZYNSKIAFP via Getty Images_prideparade Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

    Two Cheers for Identity Politics

    Jun 21, 2024 James Livingston argues that critics of the contemporary focus on issues of race, gender, and sexuality are ignoring history.

  4. What Was Capitalism?
    op_livingston4_PolinmrGetty Images_capitalism money Polinmr/Getty Images

    What Was Capitalism?

    Feb 16, 2024 James Livingston asks whether those at the commanding heights of today's economy are steering us toward feudalism or fatuousness.

  5. Neoliberal Minority Rule
    livingston3_GIORGIO VIERAAFP via Getty Images_desantistrumpflorida Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images

    Neoliberal Minority Rule

    Nov 1, 2023 James Livingston says that the question is no longer how, but whether, free markets can serve democracy’s cause.

  1. brown118_Wakil KohsarGettyImages_afghan_girls_school Wakil Kohsar/Getty Images
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    The Internal Challenge to Afghanistan’s Ban on Girls’ Secondary Education

    Gordon Brown explains why the country’s leadership crisis represents an opportunity to end gender apartheid.
  2. jmccarthy1_CRISTINA ALDEHUELAAFP via Getty Images_cocoaghana Cristina Aldehuela/AFP via Getty Images
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    Central Banks Must Stem the Nature Crisis

    Julie McCarthy urges monetary authorities to use their tools to mitigate the financial risks of environmental disruption.
  3. dudley1_Justin TallisGettyImages_tether Justin Tallis/Getty Images
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    The US Needs Stablecoin Legislation Now

    Bill Dudley

    Without a robust regulatory framework that incentivizes stablecoin issuers to register in the United States, stablecoin activity will migrate to countries with weaker rules, increasing the likelihood of financial instability. Fortunately, the US can still head off these risks and reap the technology’s benefits.

     explains why lawmakers need to move quickly to establish US leadership in digital assets and payments.
  4. krueger85_Justin SullivanGetty Images_UScarstrade Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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    Tariff Man Doubles Down

    Anne O. Krueger warns that the Trump administration’s trade restrictions will harm the very industries they aim to protect.
  5. lachman3_Charly TriballeauGettyImages_us_economy_eggs Charly Triballeau/Getty Images
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    America Looks Like a Troubled Emerging-Market Economy

    Desmond Lachman

    Under US President Donald Trump’s erratic rule, the United States is now exhibiting all the symptoms, from high import tariffs and fiscal deficits, to oligarchy and flagrant corruption. Worse, the fallout cannot be confined to the US, and no multilateral bailout or structural adjustment plan can mitigate the damage.

     lists the symptoms, from tariffs and massive public debt, to oligarchy and flagrant conflicts of interest.
  6. fofack29_eric1513Getty Images_dedollarization eric1513/Getty Images
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    Will Trump Destroy the Dollar’s Primacy?

    Within its first two months, President Donald Trump’s second administration has attacked US institutions, alienated trade partners and allies, decimated consumer and investor confidence, and sent the stock market plummeting. Can the dollar’s status as the world’s leading reserve currency – and the extraordinary advantages this affords the US economy – withstand the onslaught?

  7. moyo32_Anton PetrusGettyImages_ai_money Anton Petrus/Getty Images
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    Will AI Mean Higher Taxes?

    Dambisa Moyo warns business leaders that automation-driven efficiency gains may come with hidden long-term costs.
  8. gbrowne1_Thomas SamsonGettyImages_fossil_fuel_non_proliferation_treaty Thomas Samson/Getty Images
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    A Defining Moment for Energy Security and Economic Prosperity

    Gaston Browne points out that the energy transition is vital not only to protect the planet, but also to enhance resilience.
  9. norrlof10_Picture AllianceGettyImages_lng_terminal_baltic_sea Picture Alliance/Getty Images
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    How Much “Weaponization” Can the Global Economy Take?

    Carla Norrlöf worries that major powers’ understandable reliance on economic coercion will go too far.

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