Showing 1 - 10 of 65
Still haunted by Washington Consensus
Oped, Published on 11/06/2024
» In 1989, the British economist John Williamson christened what was to become the defining intellectual export of the era of globalisation: the Washington Consensus. Initially a reference to the policies adopted to tackle macroeconomic turmoil in Latin America, the term quickly morphed into a canonical "ten commandments" of development.
How to enforce climate deals with trade measures
Oped, Published on 06/02/2024
» Casual observers of the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai (COP28) can be forgiven for attributing high stakes to the event.
What pandemic preparedness would look like
Oped, Published on 06/10/2023
» Humanity was caught off guard by the Covid-19 pandemic, even though we had effectively been warned by smaller-scale outbreaks -- of Sars, Ebola, Mers and avian flu -- for decades.
Inequality rising and democracy under seige
Oped, Published on 09/09/2023
» There has been much handwringing about the retreat of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism in recent years -- and for good reason. From Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and former US president Donald Trump, we have a growing list of authoritarians and would-be autocrats who channel a curious form of right-wing populism. Though they promise to protect ordinary citizens and preserve longstanding national values, they pursue policies that protect the powerful and trash longstanding norms -- and leave the rest of us trying to explain their appeal.
We need to act for our future generations
Oped, Published on 22/06/2023
» Conservatives often make a big show of worrying about the debt burden that we are passing onto our children. This moral argument featured prominently in congressional Republicans' refusal to support a routine increase to the US debt ceiling. The GOP supposedly is so committed to reducing spending that it is willing to hold the global economy hostage and risk permanent damage to America's reputation.
SVB's collapse shows Fed failure to supervise banks
Oped, Published on 02/05/2023
» The aftershocks of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), while seemingly fading, are still reverberating around the world. Although Federal Reserve officials have taken pains to assure the public that the US banking system is sound, it is unclear why anyone should believe them. After all, Fed Chair Jerome Powell told Congress the same thing just days before SVB's collapse in March.
The high cost of carbon pricing can't be ignored
Oped, Published on 30/03/2023
» Carbon pricing is all the rage these days, at least in the developed world. But while global leaders and experts -- most of them from rich countries -- increasingly embrace the idea of putting the "right price" on carbon, the concept remains vague and ill-defined. Worse, its growing acceptance and increasingly protectionist bent may have the perverse effect of impeding efforts to decarbonise the global economy.
The fall of SVB: Another predictable bank failure
Oped, Published on 17/03/2023
» The run on Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) -- on which nearly half of all venture-backed tech start-ups in the United States depend -- is in part a rerun of a familiar story, but it's more than that. Once again, economic policy and financial regulation have proven inadequate.
How not to fight global inflation
Oped, Published on 31/01/2023
» Despite favourable indices, it is too soon to tell whether inflation has been tamed. Nonetheless, two clear lessons have emerged from the recent price surge.
Is this a new dawn for Malaysia?
Oped, Published on 11/01/2023
» In 2007, on the 50th anniversary of Malaysia's independence, Nobel laureate economist Joseph E Stiglitz celebrated the "miracle" of the country's economic rise and creation of a vibrant multiethnic society. In the 15 years that followed, however, revelations of large-scale corruption and abuse of foreign workers damaged Malaysia's international reputation and fueled domestic political instability.