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Daron Acemoglu
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Project Syndicate: In March, you described the pillars of “an effective anti-[Donald] Trump reform agenda”: a plan to generate more good jobs, reforms to give a majority of Americans a voice in politics, and increased independence for America’s bureaucracy and judiciary. If Joe Biden wins today’s election, to what extent will he pursue such an agenda? Are there likely policies that you would consider particularly ill advised?

Daron Acemoglu: If Biden wins, I see three major obstacles to the implementation of an effective reform agenda. The first is the possibility of a continued Republican majority in the Senate. After Trump, there will be a fight to restore the “soul of the Republican Party.” But, given the extent to which Trump has reshaped the party, and how little courage and dedication to political norms Republicans have shown over the last four years, I’m not hopeful that the “soul” that emerges will have much in common with that of the Republican Party before the 1990s.

As foot soldiers for some version of what has effectively become the Trump Party, Republican senators would work hard to block every Democratic policy proposal, much as they did during Barack Obama’s presidency. An effective reform agenda would be rendered impossible.

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