Showing 1 - 10 of 12
Racism helps keep US safety net in weak state
News, Noah Smith, Published on 01/06/2020
» Last week, the economics profession lost one of its leading lights -- Harvard professor Alberto Alesina. The Italian economist, who died of a heart attack at age 63, helped revolutionise the field of political economy.
China’s US trade plan a red herring
News, Noah Smith, Published on 22/01/2019
» There has been an unexpected development in the US-China trade war. Chinese trade officials apparently offered a huge concession earlier this month: a promise to completely eliminate its trade surplus with the US by 2024. The offer was off the record, but it's still a huge surprise, especially given the haphazard and clumsy way that President Donald Trump has chosen to fight his trade war.
Why Japan desperately needs criminal-justice reform
News, Noah Smith, Published on 14/12/2018
» Japan's police recently threw the chairman of Nissan Motor Co, one of the country's largest auto manufacturers, into a jail cell. Carlos Ghosn, a Brazilian-born executive with French and Lebanese citizenship, has been accused of falsifying financial reports and hiding US$44 million (1.4 trillion baht) of personal income.
Voters want a bit more 'Abenomics'
News, Noah Smith, Published on 27/10/2017
» Japan's long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party has figured out a novel and interesting way to stay in power -- govern pragmatically, focus on the economy and give people what they want.
Japan should spend a little less on its well-off elderly
News, Noah Smith, Published on 29/09/2017
» When discussing Japan's debt, most people get caught up in the issue of fiscal solvency. As everyone by now knows, Japan has a very high level of debt versus gross domestic product:
Private equity will do a lot of good for Japan Inc
News, Noah Smith, Published on 22/08/2017
» Back in 2012, I wrote a blog post calling for more private equity in Japan. Japanese companies are held back by a hidebound, inefficient workplace culture. Managers are often grey elder statesmen promoted up through the ranks, instead of dynamic outsiders ready to shake things up. Shareholders are often passive owners, doing little to push companies to raise profitability, while managers build empires instead of focusing on what their companies do best.
Economists in the age of Trump
News, Noah Smith, Published on 12/01/2017
» Economists are going to have to approach things a bit differently if they want to stay relevant in the Trump age. Research is going to become more important. Some humility wouldn't hurt. And they should look someplace other than the federal government to test their ideas.
Kudlow is a troubling economics adviser for Trump
News, Noah Smith, Published on 21/12/2016
» Donald Trump is reportedly close to picking Larry Kudlow to be the chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers. This will doubtless annoy many economists and policy wonks because Mr Kudlow isn't an economist -- he didn't even major in econ in college. He's an econ commentator, much like me, but without the academic training.
Economists face reality of figures
News, Noah Smith, Published on 12/12/2016
» Economics has always had to grapple with questions of moral philosophy. Unlike most natural sciences, econ deals directly with issues of government and social policy.
Don't count on a crash from a Trump trade war
News, Noah Smith, Published on 22/11/2016
» Talk of war is in the air -- trade war!