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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 Origins of the Federal Reserve System: Money, Class, and Corporate Capitalism, 1890-1913 (Cornell University Press, 1986), and the forthcoming The Intellectual Earthquake: How Pragmatism Changed the World, 1898-2008 (University of Chicago Press).

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  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Men Overboard
    op_livingston3_Kevin DietschGetty Images_joshhawley Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    Men Overboard

    Aug 11, 2023 James Livingston explores the unspoken tragedy at the heart of conservatives' fixation on defending patriarchy.

  1. kuttab60_CHANDAN KHANNAAFP via Getty Images_trumpisrael Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
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    Trump’s Middle East Challenge

    Daoud Kuttab highlights the changes in the region that will complicate the US president-elect's peacemaking efforts.
  2. watkins30_ Stanislav KogikuSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_sdgs Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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    Last Chance for the SDGs?

    Kevin Watkins thinks the fate of the 2030 targets hinges on the next International Development Association replenishment.
  3. sayang4_China News ServiceGettyImages_china_ai_exhibit China News Service/Getty Images
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    America’s Tech Blind Spot

    S. Alex Yang & Angela Huyue Zhang

    In recent years, a growing chorus of academics and policymakers has sounded the alarm over the systemic dysfunction of the US tech sector. Yet, despite the high drama of congressional hearings with Big Tech CEOs and a cascade of bills promising comprehensive reforms, the results have been disappointing.

     worry that in its bid to outcompete China, the US risks stifling its own potential for innovation.
  4. kirchschlager3_JC MILHETHans LucasAFP via Getty Images_teenagersocialmediaphones J.C. Milhet/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
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    Protecting Children from Anti-Social Media

    Peter G. Kirchschläger urges countries to emulate Australia and bar young people from addictive online platforms.
  5. Anadolu/Getty Images
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    Democracy Needs Workers

    Bartosz M. Rydliński urges center-left parties in the West to reconnect with voters who increasingly support far-right populists.
  6. op_acemoglu6_Getty Images_AI Getty Images
    Free to read
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    The World Needs a Pro-Human AI Agenda

    Daron Acemoglu fears that the tech industry’s current priorities will result in the worst of all possible worlds.
  7. fofack30_ Andrew BurtonGetty Images_trump Andrew Burton/Getty Images
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    Big Money Beat Bigger Money in the US Election

    Hippolyte Fofack warns that the ultra-rich are corroding US democracy, even if they can’t always spend their way to power.
  8. rogoff256_Sean GallupGetty Images_brandenburg airport Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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    Europe’s Economy Is Stalling Out

    Kenneth Rogoff

    As Germany and France head into another year of near-zero growth, it is clear that Keynesian stimulus alone cannot pull them out of their current malaise. To regain the dynamism and flexibility needed to weather US President-elect Donald Trump’s tariffs, Europe’s largest economies must pursue far-reaching structural reforms.  

     explains why the EU’s long-term economic slump is not likely to end anytime soon.
  9. agar8_Heritage Images GettyImages_retrofuturism Heritage Images/Getty Images
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    The Techno-Realist Manifesto

    Nicholas Agar & Stuart Whatley question the widespread belief that all our biggest problems will soon succumb to engineered solutions.

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