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Lawrence H. Summers

Lawrence H. Summers

13 commentaries
1 videos & podcasts

Lawrence H. Summers was Chief Economist of the World Bank (1991-93), US Secretary of the Treasury (1999-2001), Director of the US National Economic Council (2009-10), and President of Harvard University (2001-06), where he is currently University Professor.

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  1. A New Chance for the World Bank
    summers12_ STEFANI REYNOLDSAFP via Getty Images)_world bank ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

    A New Chance for the World Bank

    Oct 10, 2022 Lawrence H. Summers calls for reforms focused on crisis response, post-conflict reconstruction, and the green transition.

  2. Debt Relief Is the Most Effective Pandemic Aid
    brown64_NICHOLAS KAMMAFP via Getty Images_georgievamalpassworldbankIMF Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

    Debt Relief Is the Most Effective Pandemic Aid

    Apr 15, 2020 Gordon Brown & Lawrence H. Summers call for a two-year moratorium on payments for every emerging and developing economy that needs help.

  3. Can a Political-Economy Vicious Circle Be Avoided?
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    Can a Political-Economy Vicious Circle Be Avoided?

    Dec 26, 2019 Lawrence H. Summers sees the US presidential election in November as the year's most important decision worldwide.

  4. Whither Central Banking?
    summers9_erhui1979)_getty images)_wall erhui1979/Getty Images

    Whither Central Banking?

    Aug 23, 2019 Lawrence H. Summers & Anna Stansbury say that monetary policymakers should finally admit their impotence in the face of secular stagnation.

  5. When Hindsight Is Not 20/20
    obama cabinet Mark Wilson/Getty Images

    When Hindsight Is Not 20/20

    Sep 24, 2018 Lawrence H. Summers responds to Rob Johnson and George Soros's recent critique of post-2008 US economic policy.

  1. sinn109_ DANIEL ROLANDAFP via Getty Images_financial crisis DANIEL ROLAND/AFP via Getty Images
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    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
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    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.
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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)
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    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
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    Xi Jinping’s Chinese Tragedy

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

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