stiglitz269_Sean GallupGetty Images_trumpclimatechangeprotest

Politics

Plagados de trumpismo

Mar 9, 2020 Joseph E. Stiglitz

NUEVA YORK – Como educador, siempre estoy buscando “momentos enseñables” –episodios actuales que ilustren y reafirmen los principios sobre los que he venido enseñando-. Y no hay nada como una pandemia para centrar la atención en lo que realmente importa.

La crisis del COVID-19 es rica en lecciones, especialmente para Estados Unidos. Una moraleja es que los virus no andan con pasaportes; de hecho, no respetan en absoluto las fronteras nacionales –o la retórica nacionalista-. En nuestro mundo estrechamente integrado, una enfermedad contagiosa que se origina en un país puede volverse global, y lo hará.

La propagación de las enfermedades es un efecto colateral negativo de la globalización. Cuando surgen crisis transfronterizas como ésta, exigen una respuesta global y cooperativa, como en el caso del cambio climático. Al igual que los virus, las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero están causando estragos e imponiendo enormes costos a los países en todo el mundo a través del daño causado por el calentamiento global y los episodios de clima extremo asociados.

To continue reading, register now.

Subscribe now for unlimited access to everything PS has to offer.

As a registered user, you can enjoy more PS content every month – for free.

Already have an account? Log in

Subscribe to PS Digital

Access every new PS commentary, our entire On Point suite of subscriber-exclusive content – including Longer Reads, Insider Interviews, Big Picture/Big Question, and Say More – and the full PS archive.

Subscribe Now

Joseph E. Stiglitz

Writing for PS since 2001
326 Commentaries

Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate in economics and University Professor at Columbia University, is a former chief economist of the World Bank (1997-2000), chair of the US President’s Council of Economic Advisers, and co-chair of the High-Level Commission on Carbon Prices. He is Co-Chair of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation and was lead author of the 1995 IPCC Climate Assessment.

new comment has been posted. new comments have been posted.

0 Comments on this paragraph, 33 Comments on this article

joao manuel Ns Mar 24, 2020

I am intervening only to defend that there is no absolute reason and there is no one that can achieve perfection . Therefore all the defense of state intervention should realize that it is not the only way or the best but it is
irreplaceable . The question of republicans is that after the intervention the state resists any correction and then you have a big state to a economy of debt , chronic debt ... I am in Portugal now and all the socialism got the 4º place in world debt , falling to worst and all the economies that were in soviet control surpassing the portuguese . I enjoy your view but there is always the right side and as they say not even to the sea not even to the shore .
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Peter Schaeffer Mar 17, 2020

Fantasy - "and some 37 million people regularly confront hunger". Reality - "Over 70 million adults in U.S. are obese (35 million men and 35 million women). 99 million are overweight (45 million women and 54 million men). "
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Peter Schaeffer Mar 17, 2020

Fantasy - "One takeaway is that viruses do not carry passports; in fact, they don’t observe national borders". Reality - "BBC - Germany latest country to close borders"
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Klaus Kastner Mar 15, 2020

Here Stiglitz goes again... I am baffled that such prestigious people like Stiglitz (or Krugman) don't get tired of broadcasting the same theme over and over again, namely: Trump is bad, the Republicans are bad and if anything goes wrong, it is their fault. In the last 10 years, I have read a lot by Stiglitz about the Euro-crisis, the Greek crisis, etc. and more often than not he was wrong. In Greece, he even participated in an undercover operation to get the country out of the Euro. Krugman has been similarly wrong. Do they ever admit mistakes? How did these people ever win the Nobel Prize?
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Per Kurowski Mar 15, 2020

Last year, in polarized Britain, I heard a child ask her mother “What’s worse Brexit or murder?”
Any moment now, in your polarized USA, I expect hear a child asking “What’s worse coronavirus or Trump?”
https://perkurowski.blogspot.com/2010/05/speakers-corner-speakers-have-moved-to.html
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Peter Schaeffer Mar 15, 2020

Republicans are not (generally) anti-government and Democrats are not pro-government. However, they differ as to what government should and should not do.

Republicans (generally) favor the Criminal Justice/Prison system, the military, and border control. Democrats oppose (generally) all of those functions of government. More generally Democrats (typically) oppose any controls on individual behavior (with the partial exception of gun ownership). Republicans are the reverse.

Typically liberals are all in favor of the welfare state, public education (although not for their own children), and public health care. However, border control is an anathema. The notion that restricting abortion after 8 month is reasonable, make them crazy.

Neither party is consistently pro or anti government. Nor should they be.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Peter Schaeffer Mar 15, 2020

So "Trump" and "populism" are the real problem. This, of course, explains why Europe (not the USA) is now the Epicenter of COVID-19 and France/Germany/Spain/etc. have done so well (not) in handling the crisis. The following headline tells the hard truth. "Nations close borders after WHO declares Europe the new 'epicenter' of coronavirus". The Open Society failed. Social Democracy failed. The "winners" are the authoritarian nations of Asia.

Don't believe Stiglitz. Believe facts. The infection rate in Sweden is 11 times higher than the US.
- Urs Brutsch Mar 16, 2020
  
  Maybe we should compare the number of tests done in Sweden and the US? The curve of infections in the US is almost identical to all other countries....So, no Sweden is not doing worse than the US, it's just that they are a bit ahead in their testing....- and in any case, this is not a competition. Sadly, Trump only sees it this way: "I like the numbers where they are" - well he said that last week, not sure he would repeat that again today.
  - Peter Schaeffer Mar 16, 2020
    
    UB, Of course, other countries have conducted more tests per-capita than the USA. They have COVID-19 infection rates 10X-50X higher than the USA. They have to. The infection rates tell the sad story. The much-vaunted public health care systems of Europe have utterly failed to stop COVID-19. A few days ago, Merkel was telling us how Germany’s health care system would handle the crisis. Now Germany’s borders are closed. Given that infection rates are growing at astounding rates in Europe, it is actually unlikely that the US will catch up with Europe.
    
    Let’s be blunt here. Europe has failed. The US hasn’t done much better. A few countries in Asia (including China after tragic delays) are (so far) success stories.
    
    Typical European stupidity. On Monday, Spain had large rallies to promote “gender equality”. Today Spain is on lockdown.
    A new reply to this comment has been posted.
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Adrian Wu Mar 15, 2020

The Republicans preach "self-sufficiency" and "self-reliance". Sick people who can't afford health insurance deserve to die. People who can't find work do not deserve help. Those people fortunate enough to have a lot of wealth (whether it is inherited, obtained by immoral means or just by sheer luck make no difference) should not have to share it with those who need help. Presumably, this encourages people to chase the American Dream, when in reality, the chance of joining the 1% is miniscule unless one is born into it. Hence, the effort to destroy regulations that ensure a level playing field for minorities, that protect mostly the poor from exploitation by big business, ensure that the sick won't get medical treatment if they don't have money to pay for it etc. But they have forgotten that the civil society they take for granted depends on social stability and harmony, and that those very same people they despise actually keep the society running, making sure that there is food on the shelves, that trash is taken away, and that streets are clean and safe. This virus does not care if you are rich or poor. The gardener who comes in to work when he is sick because he does not have sick leave and can't afford to see a doctor, or the maid, or the repair man, or the chauffeur. The people who elected Trump now gets a taste of their own medicine, but the rest of us have to suffer along with them.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Ralph Streza Mar 15, 2020

"The best military in the world" is irrelevant now.
- Curtis Carpenter Mar 15, 2020
  
  It may come in handy when the riots start though. People in my city are already about ready to start killing each other so they can get their 500 rolls of toilet paper out to their SUVs.
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Bob Alou Mar 15, 2020

The President's most clever critics confine their criticisms to those things which wont be ready for judgment until some date in the future. So that until then they can bash his policies and slyly malign him until that thing they have predicted might happen in some far-off date has failed to materialize.

My point?

Wait until this virus has gone it's way and then assess what happens if (when) the President's early actions prove to have saved many American lives?
- Tyson White Sep 15, 2020
  
  Well that comment really aged well. His response has been a disaster. He actively interfered with the work of health experts.
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Mirek Fatyga Mar 12, 2020

Perhaps it is time to reassess and recommit. Recommit to the global integrity agenda It pains me to say this, but I would add to the threat posed by Trumpism threats posed by Stiglitzism, Krugmanism, Sachsizm and other assorted isms from the left.

It pains me to say this because, on most social issues, I would probably locate myself as left of center. At the same time, on the issue of the integrity of science, aka climate change, aka global weirding, aka sky is falling and we are all gonna to burn in the global emergency, I find myself almost solely, almost exclusively, in the company of people with whom I have little in common otherwise. But, the integrity of science is important enough to be in this company. Without strong, unshakable commitment to science, the world of 10 billion people is heading into a tragedy.

Prof Stiglitz: there is no climate emergency. Ice is not melting precipitously. We have been living through a period of very modest global warming which followed a period of relatively modest, though already painful, period of global cooling, otherwise known as Little Ice Age. Hurricanes are not stronger and there are not more of them. While climate modelling remains an uncertain dark art because of the complexity of the climate system, simple statistics is not a dark science. Comparing frequency of occurrence now and then is not all that complicated, though reliable data may be sometimes hard to come by.

Anyone is entitled to an opinion about the way the society should be. This includes opposing Capitalism, or believing that the only Capitalism that has ever worked was strongly regulated Capitalism. I would tend to agree with this last opinion. However, one must not advance this agenda at a cost of assaulting the integrity of Science.

So, let's take a step back, and use these increasingly difficult times as an opportunity to recommit to integrity. On the right, and on the left.

The chief problem of the world today continues to be scarcity which has been exacerbated by rapid population growth in the XXth Century. Let's commit to solving this problem. Please.
- Victor Morris Mar 12, 2020
  
  The voice of reason, at last. Stiglitz needs to ask why the left refuses to advise and consent in congress as they are elected to and supposed to. Is the need for power so addictive that American people (who pay congresses salary) are neglected and disrespected.
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Marcus Hutchins Mar 10, 2020

I find here little with which to quibble. I would add that faith and prayers may be a means by which science is strengthened. In other words, I see science as a chief way through which God dispenses knowledge to mankind. Prayers of the faithful strengthen the minds of good scientist who discover the most useful cures, products, and so forth. I may be wrong, but I don’t think so.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Bernhard Kopp Mar 10, 2020

In theory government could and should do many wonderful things. In practice it cannot, because operative government tasks are not sufficiently under cost-benefit-analysis, both for political and practical reasons. Government (s) are already challenged to organize their core functions reasonably, internal and external security, education among others. For non-core-state functions governments should focus on their normative role to define the parameters within which private operators must work. As it stands, many political systems cannot sufficiently meet the normativ needs of their societies, hence, chaos, dissatisfaction and resentment - in many countries open or latent civil war.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Ray B Mar 10, 2020

"The US should have started preparing for the risks of pandemics and climate change years ago." Suggest you google Defense Threat Reduction Agency whose job is to respond to pandemic threats around the world along with CDC, NIH, and a whole host of ABC agencies. There are so many A, B, C agencies involved; they are stepping on each other both in deed and communication. Don't forget China denied entry and cooperation when CDC early on tried to go to China to get the inside story. It will likely be the US pharma company (evil) that finds an inoculation for this virus but likely a year out. God help us if it mutates. Got it, you hate Trump and the need to project blame and love of progressive government but remember his action cutting off air travel to China while everyone called him a racist, likely saved thousands of people from infections and many lives. Progressive government results would be Italy and their situation for the US. As of this morning, the US has ~ 600 people infected with 340M citizens, which says the travel ban likely worked. Italy has shut down its country, and Iranians are dying in the streets. Maybe we should measure the results before deciding the orange man is all evil.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Jose Alves Mar 10, 2020

This changes nothing. Governmente is the problem because tehy pan to the selfish interest of the population. If the people individually change their behavior the same governmente will change its atitude. So if you want to solve a problem the indiviudal person should change his behaviour and then the governmente will follow. This is true for many things: climate warming, and disease dessemination.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Michael Public Mar 10, 2020

In summary, the author writes "...based on sound science can protect us from such crises..."

The is the same repeated error that every Democrat makes in trying to understand Republicans. Republicans are not incredibly stupid or incompetent, but rather they see the world through a lens that Democrats reject out of hand as invalid.

Democrats are obsessed with the World-as-it-is - facts, science, experts, evidence - and everything devolves from there. This is all well and fine itself, but it is not the only perspective available.

Republicans see the World-as-it-should-be - opinions, religion, morality, solidarity - of course, this comes quickly into conflict with the Democratic viewpoint but it is not irreconcilable.

Science can be both moral and scientific. It can be respectful of religion. Facts can weighed against the failing that created those facts. Experts can take into account how people feel and not just attempt to bulldoze others. And so on...

But until then, articles like this which just pass of half the country as complete morons incapable of leading solve no problems and escalate divisive feelings to the boiling point.

p.s. I am not a Republican or Democrat, just a devil's advocate.
- Curtis Carpenter Mar 15, 2020
  
  After the "the pandemic is another Democrat fraud" crowd which gets first prize, you get second prize for self-delusional nonsense.
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
- Philipp W Mar 10, 2020
  
  I think your characterisation of Republicans' and Democrats' world views is fundamentally wrong.
  
  Republicans are conservatives, and as the word implies they want to conserve the world as it is. That includes sticking to long-proven moral and religious values and a status quo. This is neither good or bad, they can be seen as a stalwart to our core values and societal contracts. But it can also be dogmatic and inflexible, rejecting or resisting change, even when urgently needed and necessary.
  
  Democrats are rather pragmatic and undogmatic, influenced by the diversity that exists in our world today. Progressive in a way that may at times be too radical and alienating to the plurality, if not the majority of society. But in a positive light by embracing science, modernity, humanism, it is a driving force for evolving our species and societies.
  
  Both forces have their justification and are needed in any society. The pivotal characteristics of any entity in a democartic society have to be the ability for compromise, showing common sense and reflection on ones own principles though. I am not American, but from what I can tell, it seems to me that the highly divisive nature of the American society is lacking exactly those and in my opinion only one of the big political parties is to blame for that at the moment, with some in elected office even deliberately fuelling the divide.
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Joseph Zorzin Mar 9, 2020

Maybe Republicans say government is the problem not the solution- but how often have Republican presidents cut the size of government? Not often- so raising their mantra is without merit.
- Curtis Carpenter Mar 15, 2020
  
  Good point. Better to stay focused on the demonstrable fact that Republican presidents in the last 65 years have been uniformly incompetent (and often corrupt) regardless of their endlessly repeated and thoroughly hypocritical mantras.
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.

https://prosyn.org/MbALgw1es

Plagados de trumpismo

Subscribe to PS Digital

New Comment

Contact us

Log in/Register

Plagados de trumpismo

Subscribe to PS Digital

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification