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Michael J. Boskin

Michael J. Boskin

Writing for PS since 2009
93 commentaries

Michael J. Boskin is Professor of Economics at Stanford University and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He was Chairman of George H.W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers from 1989 to 1993, and headed the so-called Boskin Commission, a congressional advisory body that highlighted errors in official US inflation estimates.

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  1. The Anatomy of the Biden-Trump Rematch
    boskin93_Tom WilliamsCQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images_election Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

    The Anatomy of the Biden-Trump Rematch

    Mar 12, 2024 Michael J. Boskin surveys the complicated mix of economic and other issues that will likely decide the 2024 election.

  2. The Most Important Developments of 2023
    boskin92_JOSEPH PREZIOSOAFP via Getty Images_harvardprotest Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

    The Most Important Developments of 2023

    Dec 21, 2023 Michael J. Boskin reflects on the year's major economic, political, and technological events and trends.

  3. Advanced Economies Must Face Fiscal Reality
    rajan83_Kevin DietschGetty Images_federalreserve Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    Advanced Economies Must Face Fiscal Reality

    Oct 18, 2023 Michael J. Boskin argues that reforms to support growth and reduce unsustainable spending are more urgent than ever.

  4. Restless America
    boskin90_Drew AngererGetty Images_biden Drew AngererGetty Images

    Restless America

    Sep 11, 2023 Michael J. Boskin worries that the country’s likely presidential candidates are not equal to its most pressing challenges.

  5. America’s Economy on the Edge
    boskin89_Tom WilliamsCQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images_powell Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

    America’s Economy on the Edge

    Jun 29, 2023 Michael J. Boskin examines the mixed market and policy signals emanating from the world’s largest economy.

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  1. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  2. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  3. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  4. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  5. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  6. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  7. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  8. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.
  9. op_mkurz3_Spencer PlattGetty Images_rustbelt Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    How Capitalism Became a Threat to Democracy

    Mordecai Kurz examines the economic policies and market dynamics that have ushered in America's Second Gilded Age.

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