Simon Johnson

Writing for PS since 2007
121 commentaries
0 videos & podcasts

Simon Johnson, a former chief economist of the IMF, is a professor at MIT Sloan, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and co-founder of a leading economics blog, The Baseline Scenario. He is the co-author, with Jonathan Gruber, of Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream.

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The Billionaire Problem
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The Billionaire Problem

Nov 29, 2019 Simon Johnson examines why the United States has developed such a potent variant of it and how it should be addressed.

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Is the Global Dollar in Jeopardy?
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Is the Global Dollar in Jeopardy?

Nov 4, 2019 Simon Johnson thinks a challenge to the greenback's primacy by Facebook's Libra, or something like it, could benefit consumers.

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How to Rethink Capitalism
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How to Rethink Capitalism

Oct 1, 2019 Simon Johnson identifies three main issues to consider when weighing how to adjust the role of markets in a sensible way.

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Brexit, the Novel
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Brexit, the Novel

Aug 30, 2019 Simon Johnson sketches a scenario in which the United Kingdom loses, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson wins.

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Economic Growth and the US Presidential Election
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Economic Growth and the US Presidential Election

Jul 31, 2019 Simon Johnson thinks the Democrats would be wise to embrace two strands of thinking about how to boost prosperity.

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Is Growth Passé?

Joseph E. Stiglitz

Some suggest that the Paris climate agreement’s target for limiting global warming can be achieved only by stopping economic expansion. But there is ample room to change the quality of growth and significantly reduce its environmental impact without condemning billions of people to lives of deprivation.

The Policy Debate Europe Needs

Barry Eichengreen

How can the eurozone get the fiscal stimulus it needs, and which European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is urging, in the face of the refusal by some countries, starting with Germany, to run budget deficits? There is a good answer, but it doesn't involve attempting to cicumvent the intent of the ECB's statute.