Skip to main content

Janine R. Wedel

Janine R. Wedel

4 commentaries

Janine R. Wedel, a social anthropologist and university professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, is the author of Unaccountable: How the Establishment Corrupted our Finances, Freedom, and Politics and Created an Outsider Class (Pegasus Books, 2016).

Sort by: Show:
  1. When Civilizational Models Collide
    wedel4_Dominika ZarzyckaSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_ukraine ngo Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    When Civilizational Models Collide

    Mar 3, 2023 Janine R. Wedel sees Ukraine’s burgeoning civil society as a model for countering oligarchic capitalism around the world.

  2. Dirty Populists
    jair bolsonaro Buda Mendes/Getty Images

    Dirty Populists

    Jan 2, 2019 Janine R. Wedel shows how leaders who won power by railing against corruption use two methods that enable much more of it.

  3. The Venal Roots of Political Turmoil
    wedel2_GettyImages-855606830 Getty Images

    The Venal Roots of Political Turmoil

    Dec 21, 2017 Janine R. Wedel says offical corruption and misconduct are a key factor driving upheavals around the world.

  4. Donald Trump and a World of Distrust
    Republican National Convention Trump Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Donald Trump and a World of Distrust

    Nov 7, 2016 Janine R. Wedel traces rising populism to a decades-long decline in public confidence in civic institutions.

  1. delong252_ Spencer PlattGetty Images_USinequality Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Can America Escape Its Second Gilded Age?

    J. Bradford DeLong recalls how the country overcame a previous era of extreme income and wealth inequality.
  2. palacio145_JAVIER SORIANOAFP via Getty Images_sanchez JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images

    Can Spain Show European Leadership?

    Ana Palacio

    In an era of geopolitical rebalancing, Europe needs a more cohesive stance in international forums, together with stronger strategic partnerships, to enhance its global influence. Spain can contribute to these goals when it assumes the presidency of the Council of the EU next month – if domestic politics do not get in the way.

    worries that a snap election will undermine the effectiveness of the country’s Council of the EU presidency.
  3. tharoor179_Ritesh ShuklaGetty Images_modirally Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images

    The Modi Decade

    Shashi Tharoor assesses the sources of the Indian government's popularity, despite its mixed record over the last nine years.
  4. reichlin30_Omar HavanaGetty Images_commission proposal Omar Havana/Getty Images

    The Fight Over EU Fiscal Reform

    Lucrezia Reichlin

    In April, the European Commission released an updated proposal for reforming the Stability and Growth Pact that includes more rigid debt “safeguards.” But the changes defeat the entire purpose of devising a new framework for member states’ fiscal policies.

    shows why the European Commission’s latest proposal, in contrast to its predecessor, solves nothing.
  5. sirleaf6_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_biodiversity africa KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images

    Governments Must Meet Their Biodiversity Pledges

    Ellen Johnson Sirleaf implores wealthy donor countries to deliver on the promises they made at COP15 to protect natural capital.
  6. haldar21_Getty Images Getty Images

    Revisiting the Behavioral Revolution in Economics

    Antara Haldar assesses the legacy of the intellectual challenge to the view that rational self-interest guides our actions.
  7. varoufakis104_Andrew LichtensteinCorbis via Getty Images_amazonunion Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

    New AI Germ Busters Can Also Bust Unions

    Yanis Varoufakis shows how an AI-driven biomedical breakthrough could rob workers of what little power they have left.
  8. james206_anilakkusGetty Images_globalization anilakkus/Getty Images

    Globalization’s Warring Narratives

    Harold James examines the analytical disagreements that are hampering management of an unavoidable phenomenon.
  9. op_nagymohacsi2_Namthip MuanthongthaeGetty Images_CBDC Namthip Muanthongthae/Getty Images

    The Digital Economy’s New Monetary Imperative

    Piroska Nagy Mohácsi thinks governments must embrace central bank digital currencies or risk a fundamental loss of control.

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.